History Recap / LawAndOrderS7E3GoodGirl

** First, they hire a lawyer who uses a sympathetic judge to force [=McCoy=] and Ross to prosecute before they are ready (they are trying to find evidence that absolutely reputes the rape claim).

An African-American college student named Charley Monroe is found stabbed to death in his apartment. At the time of his death he had recently had sex with a female visitor; and had been heard arguing with a woman earlier in the day. A library book found at his home links him to wealthy, white Danielle Mason. Fingerprints prove that Danielle was at his home, and she is arrested. She claims that they met at the library and Monroe lured her back to his apartment and raped her - she had been drugged and was unable to fight back. When she woke up, he tried to rape her again, and she used the knife to defend herself. Van Buren does not believe this explanation, and Danielle is charged with murder.

[=McCoy=] discovers from insurance records that shortly after Danielle had introduced her parents to a high school boyfriend who happened to be black, she broke her arm by having someone (such as her father) twist or pull on it. [=McCoy=] tells the Masons he will question Danielle about this during cross-examination; as a result, the defense doesn't call her. With the jury swayed by Van Buren pointing out that Danielle lied about her alibi and may not be trustworthy, Danielle's lawyer requests a plea deal. Danielle confesses she lashed out at Monroe because he broke up with her, not understanding why she was so secretive about their relationship - her father and neighbors would have tried to kill Monroe themselves if they knew. [=McCoy=] and Ross wryly reflect on how something as simple as two kids being in love led to such a complicated and contentious case.

It is discovered that Danielle knew Monroe's neighborhood, regularly made calls to his pager, and that he worked a part-time job on her street. However, there is no concrete evidence of them being in a relationship. [=McCoy=] and Ross are not confident in the prosecution's case, but the Monroes' lawyer successfully petitions to force an indictment. Further tensions emerge when an anonymous letter accuses a white juror of racism; the alternate juror is black. Danielle's father insists in a racist diatribe that the black community is deliberately trying to rig the jury.

* WhereDaWhiteWomenAt: Inverted. Danielle seems to have had a penchant for black boyfriends.
* WoundedGazelleGambit: Danielle plays on the above-mentioned stereotype about black men to claim that she acted in self-defense after he raped her and was trying to do it again.

* WhereDaWhiteWomenAt: Danielle seems to have had a penchant for black boyfriends.

* ConvenientlyUnverifiableCoverStory: Monroe's ex was working at a weekend job where she could have slipped out at any time, and no one can prove whether or not she was there (however, she's eliminated as a suspect fairly quickly.)

It is discovered that Danielle knew Monroe's neighborhood, regularly made calls to his pager, and that he worked a part-time job on her street. However, there is no concrete evidence of them being in a relationship. [=McCoy=] and Ross are not confident in the prosecution's case, but the Monroes' lawyer successfully petitions to force an indictment. Further tensions emerge when an anonymous letter accuses a white juror of racism; the alternate juror is black. Danielle's father furiously insists the black community is deliberately trying to rig the jury.

An African-American college student named Charley Monroe is found stabbed to death in his apartment. At the time of his death he had recently had sex with a female visitor; and had been heard arguing with a woman earlier in the day. A library book found at his home links him to wealthy, white Danielle Mason. Fingerprints prove that Danielle was at his home, and she is arrested. She claims that they met at the library and Monroe lured her back to his apartment and raped her. When she woke up, he tried to rape her again, and she used the knife to defend herself. Van Buren does not believe this explanation, and Danielle is charged with murder.

It is discovered that Danielle knew Monroe's neighborhood, regularly made calls to his pager, and that he worked a part-time job on her street. However, there is no concrete evidence of them being in a relationship. [=McCoy=] and Ross are not confident in the prosecution's case, but the Monroes' lawyer successfully petitions to force an indictment. Further tensions emerge when an anonymous letter accuses a juror of racism; the alternate would be a black woman. Danielle's father furiously insists the black community is deliberately trying to rig the jury.

An African-American college student named Charley Monroe is found stabbed to death in his apartment. At the time of his death he had recently had sex with a female visitor, and had been heard arguing with a woman earlier in the day. A library book found at his home links him to wealthy, white Danielle Mason. Fingerprints prove that Danielle was at his home, and she is arrested. She claims that they met at the library and Monroe lured her back to his apartment and raped her. When she woke up, he tried to rape her again, and she used the knife to defend herself. Van Buren does not believe this explanation, and Danielle is charged with murder. Ross notices a key inconsistency in Danielle's story: Danielle claimed she had never been to Monroe's neighborhood before, but on the day of his death, she visited a local store that she knew to be popular with cab drivers.

It is discovered that Danielle regularly made calls to Monroe's pager, that he worked a part-time job in her neighborhood, and that in high school she had a black boyfriend she met through the cheerleading squad; they split up when Danielle broke her arm and was forced to quit cheerleading. However, there is no concrete evidence of Monroe and Danielle being in a relationship. [=McCoy=] and Ross are not confident in the prosecution's case, but the Monroes' lawyer successfully petitions to force an indictment. An angry [=McCoy=] knows the judge allowed this because of the racial element of the case. Schiff insists that the only way forward is to proceed with the trial and give the public what they want. Further tensions emerge when an anonymous letter accuses a juror of racism; if this juror is removed, [=McCoy=] will have to choose between a black woman and white man as the replacement. Danielle's father furiously insists the black community is deliberately trying to rig the jury.

Upon seeing Danielle's reaction, [=McCoy=] suspects it may be no coincidence that she was injured after her parents met her black boyfriend. He gets a copy of the insurance report, proving that her broken arm could only have been caused by someone (such as her father) pulling or twisting her arm. [=McCoy=] tells the Masons he will question Danielle about the incident during cross-examination; as a result, the defense doesn't call her. With the jury swayed by Van Buren pointing out that Danielle lied about her alibi and may not be trustworthy, Danielle's lawyer requests a plea deal. Danielle confesses she lashed out at Monroe because he broke up with her, not understanding why she was so secretive about their relationship - her father and neighbors would have tried to kill Monroe themselves if they knew. [=McCoy=] and Ross wryly reflect on how something as simple as two kids being in love led to such a complicated and contentious case.

A college student named Charley Monroe is found stabbed to death in his apartment. At the time of his death he had recently had sex with a female visitor, and had been heard arguing with a woman earlier in the day. A library book found at his home links him to Danielle Mason. Fingerprints prove that Danielle was at his home, and she is arrested. She claims that they met at the library and Monroe lured her back to his apartment and raped her. When she woke up, he tried to rape her again, and she used the knife to defend herself. Van Buren does not believe this explanation, and Danielle is charged with murder. Ross notices a key inconsistency in Danielle's story: Danielle claimed she had never been to Monroe's neighborhood before, but on the day of his death, she visited a local store that she knew to be popular with cab drivers.

A college student named Charley Monroe is found stabbed to death in his apartment. At the time of his death he had recently had sex with a female visitor, and had been heard arguing with a woman earlier in the day. A library book found at his home links him to Danielle Mason. Fingerprints prove that Danielle was at his home, and she is arrested. She claims that they met at the library and Monroe lured her back to his apartment and raped her. When she woke up, he tried to rape her again, and she used the knife to defend herself. Van Buren does not believe this explanation, and Danielle is charged with murder. Ross notices a key inconsistency in Danielle's story: Danielle claimed she had never been to Monroe's neighborhood before, but on the day of his murder, she visited a store that she knew to be popular with cab drivers.

It is discovered that Danielle regularly made calls to Monroe's pager, that he worked a part-time job in her neighborhood, and that in high school she had a black boyfriend she met through the cheerleading squad; they split up when Danielle broke her arm and was forced to quit cheerleading. However, there is no concrete evidence of Monroe and Danielle being in a relationship. [=McCoy=] and Ross are not confident in the prosecution's case, but the Monroes' lawyer successfully petitions to force an indictment. An angry [=McCoy=] knows the judge allowed this because of the racial element of the case. Schiff insists that the only way forward is to proceed with the trial and give the public what they want. In court, the defense argues that Van Buren had a vested interest in making Monroe look innocent, citing the fact that she withheld knowledge of his previous record for involvement in a sexual assault.

Further tensions emerge when an anonymous letter accuses a juror of racism; if this juror is removed, [=McCoy=] will have to choose between a black woman and white man as the replacement. Danielle's father furiously insists the black community is deliberately trying to rig the jury. Upon seeing Danielle's reaction, [=McCoy=] suspects it may be no coincidence that she was injured after her parents met her black boyfriend. He gets a copy of the insurance report, proving that her broken arm could only have been caused by someone (such as her father) pulling or twisting her arm. [=McCoy=] tells the Masons he will question Danielle about the incident during cross-examination; as a result, the defense doesn't call her. With the jury swayed by Van Buren pointing out that Danielle lied about her alibi and may not be trustworthy, Danielle's lawyer requests a plea deal. Danielle confesses she lashed out at Monroe because he broke up with her, not understanding why she was so secretive about their relationship - her father and neighbors would have tried to kill Monroe themselves if they knew. [=McCoy=] and Ross wryly reflect on how something as simple as two kids being in love led to such a complicated and contentious case.

Further tensions emerge when an anonymous letter accuses a juror of racism; if this juror is removed, [=McCoy=] will have to choose between a black woman and white man as the replacement. Danielle's father furiously insists the black community is deliberately trying to rig the jury. Upon seeing Danielle's reaction, [=McCoy=] suspects it may be no coincidence that she was injured after her parents met her black boyfriend. He gets a copy of the insurance report, proving that her broken arm could only have been caused by someone (such as her father) pulling or twisting her arm. [=McCoy=] tells the Masons he will question Danielle about the incident during cross-examination; as a result, the defense doesn't call her. With the jury swayed by Van Buren pointing out that Danielle lied about her alibi and may not be trustworthy, Danielle's lawyer requests a plea deal. Danielle confesses she lashed out at Mason because he broke up with her, not understanding why she was so secretive about their relationship - her father and neighbors would have tried to kill Monroe themselves if they knew. [=McCoy=] and Ross wryly reflect on how something as simple as two kids being in love led to such a complicated and contentious case.

A college student named Charley Monroe is found stabbed to death in his apartment. At the time of his death he had recently had sex with a female visitor, and had been heard arguing with a woman earlier in the day. A library book found at his home links him to Danielle Monroe. Fingerprints prove that Danielle was at his home, and she is arrested. She claims that they met at the library and Monroe lured her back to his apartment and raped her. When she woke up, he tried to rape her again, and she used the knife to defend herself. Van Buren does not believe this explanation, and Danielle is charged with murder. Ross notices a key inconsistency in Danielle's story: Danielle claimed she had never been to Monroe's neighborhood before, but on the day of his murder, she visited a store that she knew to be popular with cab drivers.