Directed by James Quinn
Written by William M Finkelstein
A drug dealer, Angela Jarrell, is found strangled to death. Briscoe and Green quickly connect her to another dealer named Taz Partell, but there isn't enough evidence to charge him. The detectives instead look into a witness's claim that Partell shot dead a club bouncer in the Bronx two years ago. Other witnesses identify Partell as the shooter, so he is arrested. However, a Tony Schaeffer has already been convicted and jailed for the bouncer's murder. Due to the specific location of the murder, the Manhattan DAs can push for jurisdiction; Abbie thinks this is their best chance of getting Partell to confess to killing Jarrell too.
Bronx DA Robertson refuses to re-open the case, and McCoy indicts Partell. A judge deems the evidence sufficient to sustain the case but warns that a jury won't be convinced, since all the witnesses were drunk or high at the time. On orders from Lewin, McCoy offers Partell a deal for the two murders— 7 1/2 to 15 years. Robertson, bitter at what he sees as the Manhattan office's attempt to undermine his authority, still won't do anything about Schaeffer. McCoy therefore decides to personally represent Schaeffer in an appeal of habeas corpus. Despite Robertson arguing that Schaeffer's only acceptable legal recourse is to appeal to the governor for a pardon, the judge overturns Schaeffer's conviction and he is released.
This episode contains examples of:
- Bittersweet Ending: McCoy got Schaeffer out of jail, but now has to explain to Jarrell's father why her killer will be serving a shorter sentence for her murder.
- Evil Is Petty: Partell killed Jarrell because she lost him a couple of hours' takings due to being robbed. When this is pointed out to him, he shrugs and says that employing her just "wasn't working out".
- Glory Hound: Robertson is so determined to protect his, and his police department's, reputation that he was prepared to let an innocent man serve a minimum 25 years in jail.
- Jurisdiction Friction: With the Bronx DA's office.
- Law of Conservation of Detail: Early in the episode, Jarrell's sister mentions that their father has vowed not to visit New York until his daughter's killer is caught. At the end of the show, he goes to McCoy's office and McCoy will have to break the news as to why Partell got such a short sentence.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: Robertson and his ADA.
- Our Lawyers Advised This Trope: The episode comes with a disclaimer saying that the fictional Bronx DA featured in the episode does not in any way represent Robert Johnson, the real-life Bronx DA at the time.
- Outliving One's Offspring: Jarrell's parents are still alive at the end of the episode.
- Ripped from the Headlines: Based on multiple cases of wrongful convictions under the controversial tenure of the then-current Bronx DA.
