Four separate shootings soon become apparent as the work of a sniper. With evidence of the killer trying to cover their tracks, Briscoe and Green investigate the possibility that the killer knew only one of the victims, and used the other murders to cover his or her tracks. They learn that a victim named Charlie Rodriguez was about to fire Herman Capshaw, an underperforming employee. The murder weapon is found in a cabin Capshaw owns, and he's arrested. But then Southerlyn finds that Capshaw's 15-year-old son Justin (Sebastian Stan) wrote notes the killer sent to police.
Justin confesses to the murders and says he had to kill Rodriguez to protect his father's job. Forensic evidence supports this. McCoy discovers Justin isn't Capshaw's son at all - Capshaw's only child died ten years ago and then he kidnapped Justin. Justin insists his family died in a fire and Capshaw adopted him. Southerlyn traces Justin's real family, the Laffertys, who are still alive. But Justin is horrified and wants nothing to do with them. The defence pleads not guilty by reason of mental defect.
Olivet examines Justin and finds that he and Capshaw had an extremely co-dependent relationship. Capshaw doesn't let Justin date, make friends, or have hobbies. In court, Justin's lawyer plays up the notion that Justin was so dependent on Capshaw it drove him to kill. Justin breaks down and says that Capshaw is his real family, and the Laffertys are not. The jury acquits and he is remanded to hospital. Branch thinks that Justin doesn't deserve a chance at rehabilitation. McCoy says that, as a father himself, he can't agree with that view.
This episode contains examples of:
- All Girls Like Ponies: Southerlyn is able to trace Justin's family after he mentions his sister took riding lessons.
- Death of a Child:
- One of the 4 victims was 14 years old.
- Capshaw's biological son died at age 5.
- Driven to Suicide: Justin's biological father committed suicide because of the stress caused by his son's kidnapping.
- Insanity Defence: Justin is ultimately acquitted based on this.
- The Kindnapper: Capshaw sees himself as this, although Olivet strongly disagrees.
- My Beloved Smother: Capshaw was an extremely overprotective, controlling "father" towards Justin.
- Outliving One's Offspring: Capshaw's son died years before this episode.
- Parental Abuse: Capshaw's treatment of Justin was a form of this.
- Protection Racket: One of the victims was shot outside a restaurant subject to this, and the detectives initially investigate whether the owner was the intended target.
- Replacement Goldfish: Justin was intended to replace Capshaw's real son.
- Ripped from the Headlines: The shootings being a case of seemingly random fire from a sniper in order to hide the actual target is based on the Beltway Snipers
, in which two men killed multiple random people with plans on killing the ex-wife of one of them, whom had a restraining order again him, in order to gain sole custody of his children. - Serial Killings, Specific Target: More like spree killings, but Justin only had a direct motive to kill Charlie Rodriguez. The other killing were intended as a Smokescreen Crime to hide this murder.
- Title Drop: Olivet gets in one of these.
