"Teenage Wasteland" | ||
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← | L&O, Episode 11.12 | → |
Production number: E1315 First aired: 7 February 2001 | ||
Written By Barry Schindel & Aaron Zelman Directed By Constantine Makris |
Plot
After a group of teenagers are arrested for the murder of a Chinese restaurant owner, the DA must decide whether or not to seek the death penalty against the eldest teenager of the group.
Cast
Main cast
- Jerry Orbach as Detective Lennie Briscoe
- Jesse L. Martin as Detective Ed Green
- S. Epatha Merkerson as Lieutenant Anita Van Buren
- Sam Waterston as Executive A.D.A. Jack McCoy
- Angie Harmon as A.D.A. Abbie Carmichael
- Dianne Wiest as Interim D.A. Nora Lewin
Guest cast
- Danny Burstein as Lester Rosenfeld
- Danielle Carin as Heather Russo
- Lynn Chen as Jenny Wu
- Alex Feldman as Mitch Regan
- Ken Garito as Kevin Russo
- Murphy Guyer as Defense Attorney Leslie Stanton
- John Heffernan as Marvin Warner
- Leslie Hendrix as Dr. Elizabeth Rodgers
- Wai Ching Ho as Mrs. Ngai
- Audrie J. Neenan as Judge Marilyn Haynes
- Giulia Pagano as Mrs. Russo
- Lou Bonacki as Mr. Russo
- Brenda Pressley as ADA Shannon Hayes
- John Ramsey as Judge Walter Schreiber
- Molly Regan as Mrs. Regan
- Jason Ritter as Nick Simms
- Don Sparks as ADA Lawrence Donato
- Michelle Stern as Heather Russo's Attorney
- Jo Twiss as Carol Warner
- Kay Walbye as Neighbor
- Pete Simpson as CSU Officer
- Dennis Paladino as Super
- Clayton LeBouef as Attorney #1
- Sharon Hope as Judge
- Cesar De León as Painter #1
- Brennan Brown as Forensic Technician
- Erin Dilly as Emily
- Lou Sones as Clerk
- Gregory Zaragoza as Joseph
- Courtney S. Bunbury as Juror (uncredited)
References
- Texas
- Tommy Ngai
- United States Army
Quotes
“ | Hey, check it out. Here comes Sergeant Slaughter. | ” |
–Lennie Briscoe spotting Marvin Warner |
“ | Charge him with murder. A person doesn't lose the back of his skull unless his killer intends him to. | ” |
–Jack McCoy |
- Lewin: Which should be the standard to take the life of a teenager?
- Carmichael: Where I come from, it's when what a person's done is so vicious, so cruel, he forfeits the right to get any older.
- Lewin: Where I come from, a person can't forfeit that right. We can only take it from him.
“ | My decision today continues this office's tradition of objectively applying the laws of this state to the cases it's charged with prosecuting in this great city. Ours is an island but we are not untouched by the national debate or its dictates concerning the death penalty. That being said, my decision goes against my personal feelings, but as District Attorney, I took an oath to uphold the law which includes applying the death penalty fairly with due process of law. To do otherwise would be to substitute my own judgment for the judgment of those the people elected to make such decisions. Accordingly, I am forced to conclude that notice to the court of our intention to seek the death penalty in the case of the People v. Mitch Regan is appropriate. | ” |
–Nora Lewin to the press |
- Jury Foreman: As to the first count of the indictment, murder in the first degree, the sentence of this jury is death
- Mrs. Regan: No! No! Please! Please! Don't kill him! Don't kill him! Oh my God!
“ | With any luck, we'll be able to strap him to a gurney before he's 21. God have mercy on our souls. | ” |
–Nora Lewin |
Background information and notes
- The story was inspired by the Jin-Sheng Liu case, in which a Chinese deliveryman was lured to his death by five Queens teenagers. None of the teenagers were charged above murder in the second degree, and therefore none were facing the death penalty.
Episode scene cards
1 | 2 | 3 |
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Forensics Lab |
Apartment Of |
Chambers Of |
4 | 5 | 6 |
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District Attorney's Office |
Supreme Court |
Chambers Of |
7 |
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Supreme Court |
Previous episode: "Sunday in the Park with Jorge" |
"Teenage Wasteland" Law & Order Season 11 |
Next episode: "Phobia" |