Monster (Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode)
Encyclopedia
"Monster" is a second season episode of the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent
.
and Eames
investigate the case of a woman, Laura Dietrich, found murdered in her apartment.
Goren and Eames initially focus their investigation on the victim's son, Mark Dietrich, recently parole
d after serving 15 years for strangling a woman to death. The detectives expand the investigation beyond the scope of the initial case when possible evidence for another case emerges. They meet the lead detective, Officer Ted Marston, who had investigated a case involving a park jogger who had been rape
d, which had similar details present in their Dietrich case. They begin to believe the two cases could be linked.
After further investigation, not only does Goren suspect Marston might have coerced
false confessions from teenagers who subsequently were incarcerated for raping the park jogger, but Goren also suspects a sophisticated cover-up by Marston to rush other cases to closure. Goren and Eames pit Marston and Dietrich against each other to expose the crimes of both. The lead detective is exposed about the coerced false confessions. The lead detective is also found to have murdered the paroled's mother in order to halt her investigation of the park jogger case which might have caused that case to be reopened and the coerced false confessions to be exposed. Ultimately the mother's suspicions are confirmed; her son had raped the jogger.
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...
.
Plot summary
In this episode, Detectives GorenRobert Goren
Det. Robert "Bobby" Goren is a fictional character featured in the NBC-USA Network police procedural and legal drama television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent, portrayed by Vincent D'Onofrio....
and Eames
Alexandra Eames
Det. Alexandra "Alex" Eames is a fictional police detective with the NYPD Major Case Squad featured in the NBC-USA Network Law & Order: Criminal Intent, portrayed by Kathryn Erbe...
investigate the case of a woman, Laura Dietrich, found murdered in her apartment.
Goren and Eames initially focus their investigation on the victim's son, Mark Dietrich, recently parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
d after serving 15 years for strangling a woman to death. The detectives expand the investigation beyond the scope of the initial case when possible evidence for another case emerges. They meet the lead detective, Officer Ted Marston, who had investigated a case involving a park jogger who had been rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d, which had similar details present in their Dietrich case. They begin to believe the two cases could be linked.
After further investigation, not only does Goren suspect Marston might have coerced
Coercion
Coercion is the practice of forcing another party to behave in an involuntary manner by use of threats or intimidation or some other form of pressure or force. In law, coercion is codified as the duress crime. Such actions are used as leverage, to force the victim to act in the desired way...
false confessions from teenagers who subsequently were incarcerated for raping the park jogger, but Goren also suspects a sophisticated cover-up by Marston to rush other cases to closure. Goren and Eames pit Marston and Dietrich against each other to expose the crimes of both. The lead detective is exposed about the coerced false confessions. The lead detective is also found to have murdered the paroled's mother in order to halt her investigation of the park jogger case which might have caused that case to be reopened and the coerced false confessions to be exposed. Ultimately the mother's suspicions are confirmed; her son had raped the jogger.
Cast
| Vincent D'Onofrio Vincent D'Onofrio Vincent Phillip D'Onofrio is an American actor, director, film producer, writer, and singer. Often referred to as an actor's actor, his work as a character actor has earned him the nickname of "Human Chameleon"... |
Det. Robert Goren Robert Goren Det. Robert "Bobby" Goren is a fictional character featured in the NBC-USA Network police procedural and legal drama television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent, portrayed by Vincent D'Onofrio.... |
| Kathryn Erbe Kathryn Erbe Kathryn Elsbeth Erbe is an American actress known for her role as Det. Alexandra Eames in Law & Order: Criminal Intent, a spin-off of Law & Order, and death row inmate Shirley Bellinger in the HBO series Oz.-Personal life:... |
Det. Alexandra Eames Alexandra Eames Det. Alexandra "Alex" Eames is a fictional police detective with the NYPD Major Case Squad featured in the NBC-USA Network Law & Order: Criminal Intent, portrayed by Kathryn Erbe... |
| Jamey Sheridan Jamey Sheridan James Patrick "Jamey" Sheridan is an American actor. He was born in Pasadena, California.He has had a prolific acting career in theater, television, and feature film productions. Born to a family of actors, he made it to Broadway and earned a Tony nomination in 1987 for his performance in the... |
Capt. James Deakins James Deakins Captain James Deakins is a fictional character on the NBC-USA Network U.S. television series, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, played by Jamey Sheridan.On the show, Deakins supervises New York City's Major Case Squad... |
| Courtney B. Vance Courtney B. Vance Courtney Bernard Vance is an American actor. He was formerly a regular on the NBC/USA television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent as Assistant District Attorney Ron Carver. He was also a series regular on the ABC series FlashForward. As of 2011, he appears on the TNT series The Closer as Chief... |
A.D.A. Ron Carver Ron Carver Ron Carver is a fictional character on the NBC-USA Network series, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, played by Courtney B. Vance.Carver often works in conjunction with detectives Robert Goren, Alexandra Eames, Mike Logan and Carolyn Barek of the Major Case Squad. He graduated from John Jay College of... |
Inspiration
- This episode contains elements of both the Robert ChambersRobert Chambers (killer)Robert Emmet Chambers, Jr. , nicknamed the "Preppie Killer", is an American who pled guilty to manslaughter in the death of 18-year-old Jennifer Levin...
case and the Central Park Jogger case.