Paranoia (Law & Order episode)
Encyclopedia
"Paranoia" is the 117th episode of NBC
's legal drama
Law & Order
, and the sixth episode of sixth season.
investigate the stabbing murder of a college woman.
The victim was in a course called "Sex, Violence and 20th Century Literature", which assigned "Literature in Cyberspace" readings from an internet bulletin board. One of the postings, revealed by the victim's boyfriend, describes the murder in explicit detail. Briscoe and Curtis use the board to lure the author into an interrogation. Curtis, already angered by the investigation, pushes the interrogation too hard and makes the poster urinate himself.
A search of the internet poster's dorm room uncovers a pair of woman's panties. Although the victim's roommate is not able to confirm who they belong to, she does remember that the poster was hanging around her dormitory around the time of the murder. Under further interrogation, he confirms that he did take the panties from the victim's room, but still denies killing her.
An inconsistency in the roommate's story causes the detectives to check her whereabouts on the night of the murder. When the detectives return to the dorm to question her, they find her disoriented from an overdose of prescription drugs at the murder scene, where she offered a confession to the murder. While searching in her violin case for the drugs she had taken, they find a knife, later confirmed to be the murder weapon.
Jack McCoy
and Claire Kincaid
discover that the suspect had previously killed her sister, also by stabbing, while she was a minor. Dr. Elizabeth Olivet
evaluates the roommate and determines that she suffered from paranoid delusions. McCoy offers defense attorney Shelley Kates (Sandy Duncan
) a plea bargain
in which the suspect would go to a mental institution, but she declines.
When Kates' case is derailed by testimony elicited by a fraud
charge, McCoy and Kates conspire to permit the defendant to testify in a way that would clearly demonstrate her delusions, against the best interests of the defendant. This is somewhat dangerous for both attorneys, since this is a violation of legal ethics. In the end, the lawyers are able to obtain testimony sufficient to secure an insanity plea.
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's legal drama
Legal drama
A legal drama is a work of dramatic fiction about crime and civil litigation. Subtypes of legal dramas include courtroom dramas and legal thrillers, and come in all forms, including novels, television shows, and films. Legal drama sometimes overlap with crime drama, most notably in the case of Law...
Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
, and the sixth episode of sixth season.
Plot
Detectives Lenny Briscoe and Rey CurtisRey Curtis
Reynaldo "Rey" Curtis is a fictional character on the TV drama Law & Order, created by Ed Zuckerman and played by Benjamin Bratt from 1995 to 1999.-Character overview:Curtis is introduced as homicide detective in Manhattan's 27th Detective Squad...
investigate the stabbing murder of a college woman.
The victim was in a course called "Sex, Violence and 20th Century Literature", which assigned "Literature in Cyberspace" readings from an internet bulletin board. One of the postings, revealed by the victim's boyfriend, describes the murder in explicit detail. Briscoe and Curtis use the board to lure the author into an interrogation. Curtis, already angered by the investigation, pushes the interrogation too hard and makes the poster urinate himself.
A search of the internet poster's dorm room uncovers a pair of woman's panties. Although the victim's roommate is not able to confirm who they belong to, she does remember that the poster was hanging around her dormitory around the time of the murder. Under further interrogation, he confirms that he did take the panties from the victim's room, but still denies killing her.
An inconsistency in the roommate's story causes the detectives to check her whereabouts on the night of the murder. When the detectives return to the dorm to question her, they find her disoriented from an overdose of prescription drugs at the murder scene, where she offered a confession to the murder. While searching in her violin case for the drugs she had taken, they find a knife, later confirmed to be the murder weapon.
Jack McCoy
Jack McCoy
John James "Jack" McCoy is a fictional character in the television drama Law & Order, created by Michael S. Chernuchin and played by Sam Waterston since 1994. He is the second-longest tenured character on the show, after Lt. Anita Van Buren . On January 28, 2009, McCoy's character ended the longest...
and Claire Kincaid
Claire Kincaid
Assistant District Attorney Claire Kincaid is a fictional character on the television series Law & Order, played by Jill Hennessy from 1993 to 1996.-Character overview:...
discover that the suspect had previously killed her sister, also by stabbing, while she was a minor. Dr. Elizabeth Olivet
Elizabeth Olivet
Dr. Elizabeth Olivet is a fictional character on the TV crime drama Law & Order. She was portrayed by Carolyn McCormick from 1991 to 1997 and in 1999. The character was revived in 2002, but made far less frequent appearances on the show....
evaluates the roommate and determines that she suffered from paranoid delusions. McCoy offers defense attorney Shelley Kates (Sandy Duncan
Sandy Duncan
Sandra Kay "Sandy" Duncan is an American singer, dancer and actress of stage and television, recognized through a blonde, pixie cut hairstyle and perky demeanor...
) a plea bargain
Plea bargain
A plea bargain is an agreement in a criminal case whereby the prosecutor offers the defendant the opportunity to plead guilty, usually to a lesser charge or to the original criminal charge with a recommendation of a lighter than the maximum sentence.A plea bargain allows criminal defendants to...
in which the suspect would go to a mental institution, but she declines.
When Kates' case is derailed by testimony elicited by a fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
charge, McCoy and Kates conspire to permit the defendant to testify in a way that would clearly demonstrate her delusions, against the best interests of the defendant. This is somewhat dangerous for both attorneys, since this is a violation of legal ethics. In the end, the lawyers are able to obtain testimony sufficient to secure an insanity plea.