Richard Ranson attempts to commit a murder-suicide but survives, having killed a woman named Dolores Diamond. Ranson grew up in a cult called Children of the Divine, where Diamond was his nanny; his mother, Mrs. Shelby, is its leader. The cult forces children into sexual activity (both with adults and each other), and a large number of former members have committed suicide or become drug addicts because of the abuse. The DA's office attempts to charge Shelby, and the testimony of Ranson's sister is crucial. However, the case collapses when it emerges she swore under oath in a previous trial that there was no abuse within the cult.
Upon learning that Shelby's teenage son David has recently died from a drug overdose, McCoy becomes determined to charge her with murder. He obtains a copy of the cult's holy book that Shelby wrote, in which she describes drugging Ranson as a child so he'd be compliant for sex. With Ranson's testimony, and evidence from the investigation into David's death, McCoy convinces a jury that David died because Shelby plied him with drugs. Despite Shelby's highly grandiose claims on the stand that she is being persecuted because she is a true prophet of God, she is convicted.
This episode contains examples of:
- A God Am I: During her trial Shelby explicitly equates herself with Jesus, Buddha, and other divine figures.
- Babysitter from Hell: Diamond was a variant of this: her job was to take care of the children in the cult and train them for sex.
- The Chosen One: Ranson, who was to have succeeded Shelby as leader, was held up as this by the rest of the cult.
- Cloud Cuckoolander: Porter is one.
- Double-Meaning Title
- Driven to Suicide: Ranson, and many other former members of the cult.
- Granola Girl: Sunshine Porter
- Manipulative Bastard: Shelby
- Matricide: Ranson planned to kill his mother, but ended up murdering Diamond because she wouldn't tell him where Shelby was.
- Murder-Suicide: What Ranson attempted to do.
- Outliving One's Offspring: Shelby's other son, David, died several years ago.
- Rape as Drama
- Ripped from the Headlines: Based on the Ricky Rodriguez case.
- Scam Religion: Children of the Divine.
- Screw the Rules, I Make Them!: Shelby justified Children of the Divine's way of life based on its holy book, which she herself wrote.
- Sex Is Liberation: This was part of the cult's teachings.
- Sibling Incest: Ranson and Porter were forced into this.
- Younger Than They Look: Subverted. The detectives quickly work out that Diamond's ID is fake, since she's clearly far older than it shows her to be.
