History Recap / LawAndOrderS10E22HighAndLow

Leslie Cavanaugh, a graduate student, is found murdered in her college dorm room. When the autopsy shows that the victim had recently had breast implants, Green and Briscoe discover that she was moonlighting as a stripper. Andy Polone, her boss at the strip club, was bankrolling a drug-dealing Nazi street gang and hired two of its members to kill her. But Polone's wealth far exceeds the profits of his club, and it turns out he's involved in insider trading along with a former porn star named Wendy Alston. Green and Briscoe learn that Alston and Polone are old friends and are both connected to Jim Harris - an investment banker who had just given Cavanaugh a prestigious internship at his company. He underwrote several mergers and acquisitions that Polone and Alston bought stocks in before the knowledge became public. Polone, Alston, Harris, and Cavanaugh's killers are all charged with first degree murder.

Harris says that he and Alston were having an affair, and he gave her inside information that she must have shared with Polone. Cavanaugh then blackmailed Harris with her knowledge of a leak from his company and threatened to report him unless he gave her a job. Alston corroborates this story and claims it was Polone's idea to have Cavanaugh killed. But [=McCoy=] and Carmichael cannot be sure whether or not Harris knew about Polone's involvement. Without Harris, there is no motive for Polone and Alston to commit murder so the [=DA's=] office decides to offer him immunity in exchange for his testimony against them. But during the trial, Alston's lawyer lures Harris into refusing to proceed so he can protect Alston; then successfully gets a mistrial declared.

Under double jeopardy laws, none of the defendants can be tried again for murder. So [=McCoy=] decides to have Harris, Alston, and Polone charged with conspiracy to murder instead. All three defendants agree to a plea deal for a minimum 10 years in jail, and Cavanaugh's killers are convicted of her murder. Harris is devastated to be publicly shamed by the judge and then have to witness Alston being sent to jail. Carmichael says that now they've got justice for Cavanaugh by punishing everyone involved, but [=McCoy=] points out that a lot of people's lives have been ruined in he process.

* StepfordSmiler: Harris's wife, who's been turning a blind eye to his adultery for years--"There are three (affairs) that I know of" and has even taken the position that it's somehow ''her'' fault--"I couldn't satisfy his needs", though it apparently never went as far as this one did.

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Harris is keen to use his connections to get out of any association in a murder trial involving Nazis and a strip club owner.

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Harris is keen to use his connections to get out of any association in a murder trial involving Nazis and a strip club owner.
* YourCheatingHeart: Harris was cheating on his devoted wife with Alston.

Under double jeopardy laws, none of the defendants can be tried again for murder. So [=McCoy=] decides to have Harris, Alston, and Polone charged with conspiracy to murder instead. All three descendants agree to a plea deal for a minimum 10 years in jail, and Cavanaugh's killers are convicted of her murder. Harris is devastated to be publicly shamed by the judge and then have to witness Alston being sent to jail. Carmichael says that now they've got justice for Cavanaugh by punishing everyone involved, but [=McCoy=] points out that a lot of people's lives have been ruined in he process.