History TearJerker / LawAndOrder

-->'''Mr. Flynn:''' Dana and I wanted to have children, but we decided to wait until she was more settled in her job. I could imagine...us sitting at the table for Sunday dinner and all the little happy faces around us. I've got nothing left...I want me wife back.

* "Armed Forces" begins with a homeless man being murdered. During the investigation, they learn that he was a Vietnam vet who was still haunted by the war and his actions. Turns out, a few of the men in his platoon had killed him out of silence, as he wanted to turn in his medals and tell the papers what they all did. Aside from a woman who was flown over to testify about the deaths of her mother and young daughter, the end of the episode has [[LonelyFuneral his funeral where the flag was presented to his elderly parents and was attended by another friend from the platoon not involved in the murder, two military soldiers and Briscoe and [=McCoy=] as a tape of "Taps" is played.]]

* "Mother's Milk" has two incompetent new parents who are raising a baby boy when he goes missing. After giving the detectives the run-around and blaming each other, the little boy is found dead. Although he was buried in a garden by the father, he wasn't technically murdered; he instead ''starved to death'' because his mother couldn't properly breastfeed him (and was "too frustrated" to really try.) Worse, she went to a clinic to get assistance, only for the physician to order her to do so because of her personal feelings about using formula instead, even guilting her into believing that she was a bad mother if she didn't use her own milk.

* [[FragileFlower Judith Sandler]], a witness [[spoiler: and the doer]] from "Survivor". Already being the daughter of [[UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust Holocaust]] survivors and being traumatized by what her parents went through, which affected her upbringing and being afraid of the world around her, she helped to carry on the pursuit of her father's lost possessions, namely, his coin collection, which he had put in storage before he was captured years earlier. She then was more or less harassed and tricked by Ross and the detectives into searching her apartment. [[spoiler: It's later discovered that a Swiss billionaire had already sold the father's coins and that she had killed the victim, who she thought was withholding knowledge about them, for nothing.]]

* In ''Sideshow'', Jack McCoy is questioned by someone trying to get him to reveal the name of a confidential informant, and the person questioning him tries to discredit him by bringing up both Claire's death and her relationship with Jack. Jack just stares at the man looking horrified and asks, "Have you no shame, sir?"

* "Max's death. I accept it. But I'll never. . .''accept'' it, you know what I mean?"

-->'''Denise''': ''*to [=McCoy=], tearfully*'' You keep on hammering and hammering! When is this over? When is this over?! ''*turns around to face the sitting judge presiding over the case, who is also a good friend of hers*'' Lisa! Please, make them stop! Please. Just let me die.

* "License To Kill" has a young teenage boy being severely injured when he's in an SUV that's chased off the road and crashes into a restaurant. His mother breaks down when she's told that the driver, presumably her husband, was killed. The driver is ''not'' her husband, and in fact had kidnapped her son - but her hope soon turns to despair as the detectives find that he was one of a hunting party all murdered by the driver. Later in the episode, the boy wakes up in hospital and, after being questioned by the detectives, eagerly asks to see his dad; Green and Fontana leave his mother to explain to him. On top of everything else, the boy dies from complications of his injuries. The vigilante who ran the car off the road gets off scot-free, since the media hailed him as a hero and the jury is firmly on his side.

-->'''[=McCoy=]''': You know, before it happened...[[spoiler: she wanted to quit. I talked her out of it.]]

* "Double Blind" has a mentally ill college student kill a janitor. After the dust had settled in finding him and getting him to trial, it's discovered that the kid didn't kill the man because he was mentally ill but rather because [[spoiler: he had a tumor, which a doctor who was allegedly studying his brain for research didn't care to actually do; he used the man as a means to an end to look better. By the time is was found, it had become inoperable. Had the man actually did his job, then the murder wouldn't have happened and the young man would have survived. He even confronted the doctor saying "They say I have around a year to live, maybe two if I'm lucky.]]

* One episode had a gay man brutally murdered by someone acting on behalf of his adoptive child's biological mother to take the baby back. Hearing the testimony of the man's distraught partner is hard to watch and the fact that they were devoted not just to each other, but to their son as well.

* "Armed Forces" begins with a homeless man being murdered. During the investigation, they learn that he was a Vietnam vet who was still haunted by the war and his actions. Turns out, a few of the men in his platoon had killed him out of silence, as he wanted to turn in his medals and tell the papers what they all did. Aside from a woman who was flown over to testify about the deaths of her mother and young daughter, the end of the episode has his funeral where the flag was presented to his elderly parents and was attended by another friend from the platoon not involved in the murder, two military soldiers and Briscoe and [=McCoy=] as a tape of "Taps" is played.

* In the episode following "Aftershock", "Causa Mortis", there is the feelings that both Briscoe and [=McCoy=] have over their own mutual guilt over what happened, as well as each man wanting the other one ''not'' to have guilt:
-->'''[=McCoy=]''': You know, before it happened...[[spoiler:she wanted to quit. I talked her out of it.]]

* In "Compassion", similar to "Endurance", [=McCoy=] is cross examining a pediatric oncologist who killed a man who had conned her out of money by claiming he could speak to the dead. The woman breaks down and begins babbling uncontrollably and [=McCoy=] is shocked to realize that for once, the accused wasn't presenting a bullshit defense. Years and years of watching children die despite her best efforts had taken its toll on her, and this man scamming her was the final b

* "Stiff", where a woman is comatose after being given spiked insulin, has the last-ditch attempt to wake her ''fail'', the woman's daughter, [[spoiler: who is responsible for the crime]], whispers tearfully [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone "I'm so sorry, Mom."]]

* One episode had a gay man brutally murdered by someone acting on behalf of his adoptive child's biological mother to take the baby back. Hearing the testimony of the man's distraught partner is hard to watch and the fact that they were devoted not just to each other, but to their son as well.
* Denise Grobman, the victim from "DNR", who was left mortally wounded by an assassin hired by her husband, who was jealous of her burgeoning career as a judge. She is in strong denial over him trying to kill her and severely depressed over being left a paraplegic who cannot care for herself. At the trial to determine if she was competent to make a decision on her life, she suffers a breakdown on the stand:
-->'''Denise''': ''*to [=McCoy=], tearfully*'' You keep on hammering and hammering! When is this over? When is this over?! ''*turns around to face the sitting judge presiding over the case, who is also a good friend of hers*'' Lisa! Please, make them stop! Please. Just let me die.
* The victim from "Captive", Tory Quinlann, suffers from a hellish existence. [[DeusAngstMachina He was originally from an abusive home, only to then be kidnapped, sexually molested by his captor, forced to abduct another young boy, killed the boy instead of leaving this "stable" home and because he saw the boy as a competitor, then finally convicted of the murder.]]
* [[FragileFlower Judith Sandler]], a witness [[spoiler: and the doer]] from "Survivor". Already being the daughter of [[UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust Holocaust]] survivors and being traumatized by what her parents went through, which affected her upbringing and being afraid of the world around her, she helped to carry on the pursuit of her father's lost possessions, namely, his coin collection, which he had put in storage before he was captured years earlier. She then was more or less harassed and tricked by Ross and the detectives into searching her apartment. [[spoiler: It's later discovered that a Swiss billionaire had already sold the father's coins and that she had killed the victim, who she thought was withholding knowledge about them, for nothing.]]
* Lennie Briscoe in Season 8. His daughter gets arrested for drug possession and is forced to testify against her dealer, and after his acquittal she ends up murdered. He goes to the crime scene and has to be restrained from cradling her body by his partner. To see this gruff, world-weary homicide detective on the verge of sobbing just makes you ache.
-->'''Lennie''': "She was my baby, Rey. What am I gonna do?"
-->'''Rey''': "You're going home with me, partner."
* In the season 9 episode ''Refuge, Part 2'', Abby breaks down in the courtroom after Carlton Radford is convicted, knowing it will help [[spoiler:bring down the Russian mobsters who killed her friend, Toni Ricci. She later mails a copy of the verdict slip to Ricci's parents.]]
* As Rey Curtis prepares to leave the squad to care for his dying wife, Lennie gives him a goodbye hug:
-->'''Lennie''': Anything, Rey. I don't care what time it is. Just pick up the damn phone.

* In the Season 10 "Endurance", a mother has been put on trial for murdering her son, who suffered from severe physical and mental health problems which had obviously taken their toll on her. Upon his cross-examination, [=McCoy=] inadvertently prompts the mother to break down on the stand and admit that she had watched him have what she thought was a fatal seizure, unable to bear saving him only to force him to endure the pain and suffering he was forced to live through, and actually attempted to kill herself with her son's pills so that they would both die together before coming to her senses. The woman's tearful breakdown as she insists that she couldn't bear to see her son suffer any more is so affecting that even the hard-assed, seen-it-all-before [=McCoy=] looks shaken by it. [[spoiler: And notably, it marks one of the few times he deliberately enables a technically guilty party to receive a lighter sentence]].
** There's a similar episode where he's cross examining a pediatric oncologist who killed a man who had conned her out of money by claiming he could speak to the dead. The woman breaks down and begins babbling uncontrollably and [=McCoy=] is shocked to realize that for once, the accused wasn't presenting a bullshit defense. Years and years of watching children die despite her best efforts had taken its toll on her, and this man scamming her was the final blow.

** Then in the following episode, "Causa Mortis", there is the feelings that both Briscoe and [=McCoy=] have over their own mutual guilt over what happened, as well as each man wanting the other one ''not'' to have guilt:

* Season 20's "Fed" has Anita attending the funeral of Rey's wife who wanted to be buried in New York. It's already sad but gets worse when they talk about their last conversations with Briscoe before his death.

* The season 6 finale "Aftershock". [[spoiler: Claire Kincaid getting killed in a car accident. The music that plays in the background as Briscoe gets out of the car, goes to check on Claire, and realizes that she didn't make it...]]

-->'''[=McCoy=]''': You know, before it happened...[[spoiler: she wanted to quit. I talked her out of it.]]

* The Season 7 finale, "Terminal." Adam has been unavailable throughout much of the episode and not quite up to his usual DeadpanSnarker standard when he is around, because his wife is dying in the hospital. The final scene is [[spoiler: him alone in the hospital room with her when she finally dies.]] He begins to cry.

** There's a similar episode where he's cross examining a pediatric oncologist who killed a man who had conned her out of money by claiming he could speak to the dead. The woman breaks down and begins babbling uncontrollably and [=McCoy=] is shocked to realize that for once, the accused wasn't presenting a bullshit defense. Years and years of watching children die despite her best efforts had taken it's toll on her, and this man scamming her was the final blow.

* The season 6 finale "Aftershock". [[spoiler: Claire Kincaid getting killed in a car accident.]]

* In the the Season 8 episode "Under the Influence", [=McCoy=] is trying a banker named Bernard Dressler for killing several people while driving drunk. [=McCoy=] is [[KnightTemplar going further than usual]] in his pursuit of justice. Everyone is telling him to [[WhatTheHellHero back off]], because Jack lost his lover to a drunk driver. Then Dressler breaks down and begs for forgiveness, and [[HeelRealization Jack realizes]] what he's doing. A defendant in tears and Jack pausing over a sheet of paper shouldn't be that evocative...

* Season 20's "Dignity" has a woman explain to the jury of how her terminal child was born and eventually died in her arms. The jury, Connie, and an officer are seen wiping away tears.

* The season 6 episode "Aftershock". [[spoiler: Claire Kincaid getting killed in a car accident.]]

* [=McCoy=] is trying a man for killing several people while driving drunk. [=McCoy=] is [[KnightTemplar going further than usual]] in his pursuit of justice. Everyone is telling him to [[WhatTheHellHero back off]], because Jack lost his lover to a drunk driver. Then the defendant breaks down and begs for forgiveness, and [[HeelRealization Jack realizes]] what he's doing. A defendant in tears and Jack pausing over a sheet of paper shouldn't be that evocative...

* [=McCoy=] is trying a man for killing several people while driving drunk. [=McCoy=] is [[KnightTemplar going further than usual]] in his pursuit of justice. Everyone is telling him to [[WhatTheHellHero back off]], because Jack lost his lover to a drunk driver. Then the defendant breaks down and begs for forgiveness, and [[HeelRealization Jack realizes]] what he's doing. A defendant in tears and Jack pausing over a sheet of paper shouldn't be that evocative...

** "Stiff", where a woman is comatose after being given spiked insulin, has the last-ditch attempt to wake her ''fail'', the woman's daughter, [[spoiler: who is responsible for the crime]], whispers tearfully [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone "I'm so sorry, Mom."]]
** Any episode involving children, obviously, but one early episode, "Cradle To Grave" featured a baby freezing to death in his crib. In addition to the NeverMyFault mentality being thrown around endlessly in the episode (mainly from the mother and the landlord), it's heartbreaking to see a victim that young, [[AdultFear especially for anyone who is a parent.]]
** One episode had a gay man brutally murdered by someone acting on behalf of his adoptive child's biological mother to take the baby back. Hearing the testimony of the man's distraught partner is hard to watch and the fact that they were devoted not just to each other, but to their son as well.
** Denise Grobman, the victim from "DNR", who was left mortally wounded by an assassin hired by her husband, who was jealous of her burgeoning career as a judge. She is in strong denial over him trying to kill her and severely depressed over being left a paraplegic who cannot care for herself. At the trial to determine if she was competent to make a decision on her life, she suffers a breakdown on the stand:
-->'''Denise''': ''*to [=McCoy=], tearfully*'' You keep on hammering and hammering! When is this over? When is this over?! ''*turns around to face the sitting judge presiding over the case, who is also a good friend of hers*'' Lisa! Please, make them stop! Don't they understand? Please. Just let me die.
** The victim from "Captive", Tory Quinlann. [[DeusAngstMachina He was originally from an abusive home, only to then be kidnapped, sexually molested by his captor, forced to abduct another young boy, killed the boy instead of leaving this "stable" home and because he saw the boy as a competitor, then convicted of the murder.]]
** [[FragileFlower Judith Sandler]], a witness [[spoiler: and the doer]] from "Survivor". Already being the daughter of [[UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust Holocaust]] survivors and being traumatized by what her parents went through, which affected her upbringing and being afraid of the world around her, she helped to carry on the pursuit of her father's lost possessions, namely, his coin collection, which he had put in storage before he was captured years earlier. She then was more or less harassed and tricked by Ross and the detectives into searching her apartment. [[spoiler: It's later discovered that a Swiss billionaire had already sold the father's coins and that she had killed the victim, who she thought was withholding knowledge about them, for nothing.]]