| "Double Down" | ||
|---|---|---|
| ← | L&O, Episode 7.19 | → |
| Production number: K1122 First aired: 16 April 1997 | ||
 | ||
| Teleplay By Ed Zuckerman & Shimon Wincelberg Story By Shimon Wincelberg & Richard Sweren Directed By Arthur W. Forney | ||
The suspect of a liquor store robbery gone wrong digs himself in a deeper situation after he tries to trick the prosecution.
Plot
McCoy tries to sidestep a plea bargain he made with a dangerous suspect in order to see justice done after discovering that the man committed three murders during an armed robbery: a cop, a witness, and his partner. McCoy ends up keeping to the deal with the intention of charging the killer, Henry Harp, with the murder of his partner separately. After a hearing, McCoy is allowed to try Harp for his partner's murder and he refuses to take any deal that will not put Harp away for life.
Cast
Main cast
- Jerry Orbach as Detective Lennie Briscoe
- Benjamin Bratt as Detective Rey Curtis
- S. Epatha Merkerson as Lieutenant Anita Van Buren
- Sam Waterston as Executive A.D.A. Jack McCoy
- Carey Lowell as A.D.A. Jamie Ross
- Steven Hill as D.A. Adam Schiff
Guest cast
- Nancy Addison as Judge Selma Davis
- Shawn Elliott as Judge Dominic Santos
- Edie Falco as Sally Bell
- John Fiore as Detective Tony Profaci
- Mary Fogarty as Hilda Harp
- Marlene Forte as Sandra Pena
- Don Hewitt as Russell Schaeffer
- Jerome LePage as Dennis Harp
- David Lipman as Judge Morris Torledsky
- Carolyn McCormick as Dr. Elizabeth Olivet
- Theresa Merritt as Ruth Titus
- Jay Spadaro as Earl Novak
- Joe Sharkey as Stan McVittie
- Lia Yang as Dr. Chang
- Gary Perez as Rodolfo Rodriguez
- Luke Reilly as Henry H. Harp
- Allen Lewis Rickman as Number Six
- Andrew Polk as CSU Technician
- Spiro Malas as Pena
- Marco Greco as Jackson
- Gregg Bello as Noonan
- Jim Brooks as Tim
- Chris Ceraso as Assistant M.E.
- John Griesemer as Driver
- Chris Marquette as Ricky
- David Shuman as Court Clerk
- Jefferson Breland as Uniform Policeman #1
- Bruce Smolanoff as Uniform Policeman #2
References
Mitchell Titus; St. Justin's Hospital; Red Star Liquor
Quotes
(McCoy has been approached to decide whether or not to accept Harp's plea bargain)
- Jack McCoy: How long has Mr. Titus been missing?
- Jamie Ross: 10 hours, just after noon.
- Jack McCoy: 2 AM justice. Not always conducive to wisdom.
| “ | Congratulations, McCoy. You just bought the Brooklyn Bridge from a double murderer. | ” |
–Lennie Briscoe, after finding out that Mitchell Titus was already dead when Henry Harp offered up his location. | ||
- Lennie Briscoe: We found Earl Novak.
- Jack McCoy: Is he talking?
- Lennie Briscoe: He's dead.
- Lennie Briscoe: So he walks for killing a cop, but you nail him for killing a cop-killer?
- Jack McCoy: An irony he'll reflect on when he's doing 40 years at Attica.
- Rey Curtis: He wants us to put our asses on the line so that he can pull his out of the fire.
- Jack McCoy: Nobody's asking you to commit perjury.
- Lennie Briscoe: Just tell me where to show up.
- Sally Bell: I just never expected you to stoop to his level.
- Jack McCoy: Gee. (turns to Ross) Jamie, how many people did I kill last week?
- Sally Bell: We can offer you another deal, save you the cost of a trial...
- Jack McCoy: He does hard time in Rikers until Hell freezes over. How's *that* for a deal?
Background information and notes
- This episode is loosely based off the notorious Brady v. Maryland case. In June 1958, John Leo Brady and his accomplice, Donald Boblit, attempted to rob a car that would be employed during a planned bank hold-up. Things went wrong and Boblit strangled to death the driver, William Brooks, who was also an acquaintance of Brady. The latter was able to avoid the death penalty by arguing that the prosecution knew he wasn't responsible for the murder, but failed to give such information to the defense. The resultant Supreme Court ruling became a landmark decision in U.S. judicial history. In the episode, the prosecution deliberately decides to ignore details of a murder in order to convict a criminal who avoided the death penalty due to a plea bargain.
| Previous episode: "Mad Dog" |
"Double Down" Law & Order Season 7 |
Next episode: "We Like Mike" |