Kathleen O’Brien is the sister of the late Sandra Dobson, who was shot and killed on the orders of her husband Michael Dobson.
Sandra was abused and degraded in her marriage, and Kathleen knew this, along with her hopes for divorce and custody of her children. Kathleen, at the direction of the prosecution, fought Michael in court to remove the bullet from Sandra’s brain when she was in a coma. Although Kathleen and the prosecution won, Sandra died during surgery.
Michael was acquitted in court, which left Kathleen devastated and feeling unnecessarily responsible. Although the bullet didn’t match his gun, it matched the gun of the hitman he hired. (L&O: "Coma")