Law & Order Season 16 Episodes
Season 16 Episode Guide
Episode 1 - Red BallFive-year-old Jenny Clark (Scarlett G. Sperduto) is kidnapped when her mother's car is stolen. Initially, the cops thing it’s a carjacking, but when the car turns up and Jenny is gone, it's obvious she was the target. Her mother, Denise (Wendy Hoopes), is hysterical and for a minute, they think it could have been her husband, Jimmy (Patrick Michael Buckley), who was behind on child support payments. But a grainy surveillance tape allows them to send out the suspect's photo, and a patrolman recognizes him as Dwight Jacobs (James LeGros), a perp from an earlier shoplifting charge. It's tough to track him down - they find his mother's address but she is no help. Then they think his girlfriend, Charleen Dowd, could be involved. They catch Jacobs at Charleen's apartment, and he tries to negotiate a "walk" if he gives up Jenny's whereabouts. McCoy (Sam Waterston) and Borgia (Annie Parisse) are leaning toward giving in but Branch (Fred Thompson) is adamant that they don't. Meanwhile, Jenny leaves a message for her mother so they presume she is still alive, and a woman’s voice is heard in the background. The detectives search for Charleen and come up empty, until they find out that Jacobs' attorney, Charles Graham (Adam Arkin), has been in contact with her. They arrest Graham for being an accomplice to kidnapping, and trace a call on his cell phone to a sleazy hotel, where Charleen is found stabbed to death. They lift a print in the room, and it's from Bernard Heinz (Harry Prichett), a known sex offender. Heinz was supposed to buy Jenny from Charleen, but he killed her when she didn't deliver the kid. McCoy agrees to let Jacobs walk provided that Jenny is found alive, believing this to be the only way to find her. Branch runs into Judge Hellstrom (Lindsay Crouse), who's handling the case, and hints that perhaps if they give in to Jacobs, she could overturn their agreement. Even though Hellstrom gives the impression that it's out of the question, that's exactly what she does after Jacobs gives the court the girl's whereabouts - his mother's garage. They find Jenny alive, and Jacobs must now face a jury's sentencing.
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Episode 2 - FlawWindow washers discover a dead body in an empty office, and the number on his cell phone is that of Detective Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) from the Special Victims Unit. Detectives Green (Jesse L. Martin), Fontana (Dennis Farina) and Benson go to the scene and discover the victim is a con artist named Patrick Sullivan who had been defrauding Social Security and was also involved in several other schemes. A fellow con man (and rap impresario) named David Glass (Daniel Eric Gold) claims he witnessed the murder, except when he was at the scene of the crime, there was all kinds of furniture and activity in the office. He ID's Lorraine Dillon (Lynda Carter) and her daughter, April Troost (Estella Warren), whom Benson has dealt with before, and they are the initial suspects until April’s lawyer delivers a security tape from a bar that shows Sullivan alive two hours after Glass says Sullivan was shot. They search Sullivan's hotel room and realize that the murder Glass saw was a scam (they find fake blood on his shirt). Shortly thereafter Glass is found hanging in his office, an apparent suicide. Borgia (Annie Parisse) gets Benson a warrant to search Dillon's apartment and they find what appears to be the murder weapon. Dillon claims she killed Sullivan in self-defense after finding out he raped April when she was 14. McCoy's (Sam Waterston) not buying it, and he wants to prove that Dillon murdered Sullivan for his share of money in the con job. Dillon gives emotional testimony explaining her side of the story, but McCoy fights back that Dillon, her daughter, and Sullivan, had conspired to extort five hundred thousand dollars from Glass. McCoy asks Borgia to take the lead and she questions April - who turns her mother's story upside down. She says she and Sullivan were consensual lovers and that her mother went berserk when she found out, killed Sullivan and made her lie to cover it up. They question Lorraine again privately and she changes her story again - April killed Sullivan because he molested her, and Lorraine was trying to cover for her daughter. Now they don't know whom to believe, and whoever gets off has a lot of money socked away. They talk to Lorraine's former husband, who says April got pregnant and disappeared, and when they question the cook at the Ashram where she went to have the baby, he tells them that he took her to the hospital, but she had the baby in the car, freaked out and buried it in the woods. When they go back to the area, it is changed and there's no chance of finding the baby. Benson tries to call April's bluff by telling her they discovered the baby's remains with her fingerprints and they would charge her with murder. She suddenly tries for a deal, offering to give up information on her mother. Lorraine will serve time for Sullivan's murder, and April also agrees to jail time, as long as it's shorter than her mother's stay. The detectives, McCoy and Borgia realize they've finally conned the cons.
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Episode 3 - GhostsA criminal makes a surprising deathbed confession that compels Detective Fontana (Dennis Farina) to re-open his own 10-year-old cold case file concerning the murder of a 12-year-old girl. Instead of the victim's father, whom Fontana is certain committed the crime, the new prime suspect is a former drug-addict whose jailhouse confession to the prosecution's most viable witness is disqualified on the grounds it was made in a spiritual context.
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Episode 4 - Age of InnocenceKaren Barrows is a lightning rod for controversy. She lies brain damaged, sustained by a feeding tube, and her husband, Robert Barrows (Timothy Smallwood), who has a girlfriend and two children, fights to have the feeding tube removed. Protesters surround the hospital, and when Robert gets in his car, it blows up, killing him instantly. The detectives have a tough time trying to find suspects because there were so many people outside the hospital. They talk to Karen's parents, Phil (Fred Burrell) and Pam (Beth Dixon) Lamar, who are visited by Reverend Dwyre (John Aylward). They are all fighting to keep their daughter alive...
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Episode 5 - Life LineAfter Detectives Fontana (Dennis Farina) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) discover the body of a murdered prostitute in the alley of a Hispanic bordello, they learn that the victim was an undercover reporter who was planning an expose about the L-12, a pervasive gang of thugs who coerced a businessman (guest star William Sadler) to commit the crime. But Assistant D.A. McCoy (Sam Waterston) soon realizes that the reluctant slayer is only trying to protect his imprisoned son (guest star Brad Fleischer) from the gang's abusive tentacles - and that no one is beyond their bloody reach. Annie Parisse, Fred Dalton Thompson and S. Epatha Merkerson also star.
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Episode 6 - BirthrightWhen an abusive young mother and murder suspect suddenly dies in her prison cell, an autopsy tells Detectives Fontana (Dennis Farina) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) that the woman has died from an I.U.D. containing benecrine - an illegal drug that sterilizes its users - given by a nurse practitioner (guest star Stephanie Roth Haberle) with a social agenda. As A.D.A.s McCoy (Sam Waterston) and Borgia (Annie Parisse) consider filing second-degree manslaughter charges, they meet a former A.D.A. - Paul Robinette (Richard Brooks) - who is now defending the nurse and thinks he has a good case. S. Epatha Merkerson and Fred Dalton Thompson also star.
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Episode 7 - House of CardsThe bludgeoned slaying of a young, unwed mother and the subsequent kidnapping of her baby put Detectives Fontana (Dennis Farina) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) on the trail of a fleeing, forty-something woman (guest star Wendy Moniz) -who is actually a depressed wife who stole the infant while pretending to be pregnant. But while the suspect's savvy lawyers plan a "post-partum psychosis" defense, A.D.A.s McCoy (Sam Waterston) and Borgia (Annie Parisse) have reason to believe that someone else was involved in the "sale" of the child, as well as the murder. S. Epatha Merkerson and Fred Dalton Thompson also star.
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Episode 8 - New York MinuteWhen the owner of a big-rig trucking company is shot to death, Detectives Fontana (Dennis Farina) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) learn that the victim was hauling illegal aliens and suspect a member (Daniel Roebuck) citizen's border patrol group - but their only witness is an undocumented Hispanic woman (Aixa Rosario Medina) who risks deportation if she testifies. Meanwhile, prosecutor McCoy (Sam Waterston) is incensed when the witness is physically intimidated as he tries to turn one organization member against the other in court. Annie Parisse, S. Epatha Merkerson and Fred Dalton Thompson also star.
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Episode 9 - Criminal LawSeemingly random people are being murdered by an elusive killer stalking the streets of New York and Detectives Fontana (Dennis Farina) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) follow the bloody trail to a hit list with the names of the targets - including A.D.A. Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston). McCoy soon realizes the list is a roster of witnesses called in the trial of a multiple-murderer he prosecuted five years ago. As witnesses dwindle and the convicted murder's retrial looms ever closer, Fontana and Green must race to find the killer while McCoy puts his own life on the line to see that justice is done. S. Epatha Merkerson, Annie Parisse and Fred Dalton Thompson also star.
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Episode 10 - AcidWhen the facially scarred daughter of Lieutenant Van Buren's (Emmy winner S. Epatha Merkerson) college friend is found dead, Van Buren directs Detectives Fontana (Dennis Farina) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) on a no-holds-barred mission to catch the serial assailant who threw acid in the victim's face months earlier. Meanwhile, A.D.A. McCoy's (Sam Waterston) prosecution is complicated by Van Buren's tactical desperation, which has caused her to cut corners. Annie Parisse and Fred Dalton Thompson also star.
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Episode 11 - Bible StoryA man is found beaten to death after defiling a sacred Torah, and the Orthodox Jewish congregants are horrified. At first it appears to be a hate crime, and an Arab man who was harassing the Jews is the initial suspect. But when Fontana (Dennis Farina) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) are satisfied it isn’t him, they redirect their investigation toward the congregation. Barry Speicher (Zach Grenier), one of the leaders of the congregation, who is very close to the synagogue’s Rabbi (Allan Miller), had donated the Torah to the temple. His own father smuggled it out of Poland during the holocaust.
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Episode 12 - Family FriendWhen a Mob accountant is slain and his wife is severely wounded, Detectives Fontana (Dennis Farina) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) arrest a common street thug who is later found not guilty because of the victim's poor testimony. When the freed slayer is later killed by an ex-cop and close family friend of the victim's, A.D.A. McCoy (Sam Waterston) faces a political powderkeg when the corrupt officer seeks to avoid prosecution by threatening to expose tainted evidence from dozens of previous cases that would free convicted murderers. Annie Parisse, S. Epatha Merkerson and Fred Dalton Thompson also star.
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Episode 13 - Heart of DarknessA journalist tormented by violent depression is found dead in his bathtub, but hand marks on his shoulders make Detectives Fontana (Dennis Farina) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) believe that foul play was involved -- especially when they uncover pills inside the victim from his ex-girlfriend's prescription. As A.D.A. McCoy (Sam Waterston) seeks second-degree murder, the girlfriend produces a videotape that shows the dead man willingly cooperated in taking his life -- until A.D.A. Borgia (Annie Parisse) discovers intriguing new evidence on the tape. S. Epatha Merkerson and Fred Dalton Thompson also star.
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Episode 14 - MagnetStrangulation Shows That Cheaters Never Prosper -- Kathleen Turner Guest Stars as High-Powered Attorney -- Detectives Fontana (Dennis Farina) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) investigate the strangling of a promising Hispanic student at a private magnet school. The men soon learn the victim was selling test answers and writing term papers for more privileged students -- including their prime suspect, Greg Loomis (guest star Jaime McAdams), a trouble-prone senior who would kill just to graduate. After Loomis' arrest, A.D.A. Sam McCoy (Sam Waterston) spurns any deal with his high-powered attorney Rebecca Shane (guest star Kathleen Turner) but has to overcome her vigorous defense that her client himself was a victim of medication side effects.
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Episode 15 - Choice of EvilsAfter a teenaged runaway is found shot in the chest, Detectives Fontana (Dennis Farina) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) begin to suspect his upstate "soccer mom," who admits she killed her vicious son out of fear that he would follow in his criminal father's footsteps. As ADAs McCoy (Sam Waterston) and Borgia (Annie Parisse) charge her with second-degree murder, the defendant's attorney claims that her client did society a favor by ending her son's life prematurely -- and new video evidence might sway a jury. S. Epatha Merkerson and Fred Dalton Thompson also star.
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Episode 16 - Cost of CapitalDetectives bank on arresting female executive for murder of amorous associate -- After a young African-American banking associate is found murdered, Detectives Fontana (Dennis Farina) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) discover that he had hundreds of thousands of dollars in his checking account. The detectives suspect the victim was having an affair with his high-powered boss Sophia (guest star Lisa Zane) who killed him out of fear and rage. As the police and A.D.A. Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) build their case, everything hinges on using either the executive's estranged husband or their shaky teenaged daughter Katie (guest star Sarah Steele) as their star witness. Annie Parisse, S. Epatha Merkerson and Fred Dalton Thompson also star.
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Episode 17 - America, Inc.Was vengeance the reason behind the slaying of a private military contractor?--A private military contractor is found shot to death in his hotel room and Detectives Fontana (Dennis Farina) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) believe vengeance is the motive in a politically charged case that questions the reason America is at war. The detectives soon narrow their focus on a fellow commando Kevin Boatman (guest star Pablo Schrieber) and the younger brother of a man who was murdered by Iraqi insurgents while under the victim's questionable command. But as A.D.A. Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) fights to keep a frightening video of the Iraqi execution out of court, he confronts unexpected political intrigue when more details are revealed about a recently captured terrorist. Annie Parisse, S. Epatha Merkerson and Fred Dalton Thompson also star.
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Episode 18 - Thinking Makes It SoFoiled bank heist points to kidnapped girl and claims of police brutality--When an armed robber is shot dead during a botched heist involving an unlikely bank manager, Detectives Fontana (Dennis Farina) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) soon discover the executive was forced to assist in the robbery by the men who kidnapped his daughter. Fearing for the girl's safety, the detectives begin an aggressive search resulting in Fontana having to use heavy-handed means to extract the child's location. The questionable tactics then leave A.D.A Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) to face a deceptively canny defense attorney (guest star Peter Jacobson) who will fully exploit the issue of excessive force. Annie Parisse, S. Epatha Merkerson and Fred Dalton Thompson also star.
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Episode 19 - PositiveA deadly shooting in a diner leads Detectives Fontana (Dennis Farina) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) to a desperate triggerman who sought revenge for his baby sister who died of AIDS at a children's hospital. Further investigation soon reveals that a brilliant doctor (guest star Vondie Curtis Hall) was using the child as a guinea pig for experimental AIDS drugs. Taking the case to court, A.D.A. Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) finds other youthful victims and must exploit the complicated ethical issues if he is to win a tough murder-one conviction against the passionate physician. Annie Parisse, S. Epatha Merkerson and Fred Dalton Thompson also star.
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Episode 20 - KingmakerAn undercover police officer is brutally murdered by an Albanian drug dealer after her identity is revealed in a newspaper column concerning the victim's father. Detectives Fontana (Dennis Farina) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) quickly discover Eric Lund (guest star Garret Dillahunt), the Chief of Staff to a liberal politician (as Congressman John Prescott, guest star David Forsyth), to be responsible for tipping off the reporter. A.D.A Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) bravely prosecutes the politico who is known for dirty tricks and threats, but despite D.A. Arthur Branch's (Fred Dalton Thompson) warning to watch his back, unexpected evidence suddenly turns up that could exonerate the accused. Dylan Baker also guest stars as defense attorney Sanford Remz. Annie Parisse and S. Epatha Merkerson also star.
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Episode 21 - HindsightMichael Imperioli ('The Sopranos') returns to guest-star as detective under investigation for slashing murder -- Detectives Fontana (Dennis Farina) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) are skeptical when Detective Falco (returning guest star Michael Imperioli, "The Sopranos") finds a young woman he took home the night before slashed to death in his bathroom. Anxious to exonerate himself of this crime, Falco takes steps that could be indicative of a cover-up instead of an unauthorized pursuit of the true culprit. Fortunately, Detectives Fontana and Green believe their colleague was drugged by the victim in a plan to rob him but was instead dispatched by a violent female rival. Proving it in court is difficult for A.D.A. McCoy (Sam Waterston), who must sort through a family of cons and ex-cons, some with ties to Falco, all resulting in a final twist of fate. Annie Parisse, S. Epatha Merkerson and Fred Dalton Thompson also star.
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Episode 22 - Invaders - Season FinaleMurderous home invaders strike close to home -- The latest murder victims of two home invaders are the family members of a man who once sold fake DEA badges to the killers and then began secretly cooperating with police. The case takes a harrowing turn when one of the law enforcement teams is put in the line of fire. In a legal gambit, A.D.A. McCoy (Sam Waterston) must then risk his career -- and those of others, as well -- to bend the rules and use corrupt DEA Agent Almonte (guest star Ritchie Coster) to lure out the sadistic psychopaths. Dennis Farina, Jesse L. Martin, Annie Parisse, S. Epatha Merkerson and Fred Dalton Thompson also star.
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