Directed by Jace Alexander
Written by Krista Vernoff & William N Fordes
Briscoe and Green's latest case involves the death of a hospital patient named Marjorie Hallenbeck, who was beaten and hit her head on a table, causing her death. Her missing jewelry leads the detectives to discover that she was having an affair with Raymond Quinn, a conman who targets wealthy older women. When a witness confirms the jewelry disappeared hours before the murder (thus Quinn would have no reason to go back and kill Mrs. Hallenbeck), the detectives question the victim's daughter Lisa. Lisa says that upon finding out her mother gave Quinn the jewelry, she hit Mrs. Hallenbeck, who fell over and died. But this story does not add up, and a closer look at the deceased shows the bruises match the imprint of her husband's wedding ring. He is arrested.
Mr. Hallenbeck has Alzheimer's Disease, and it is difficult to know how lucid he was at the time of his wife's death. Skoda interviews him, and Hallenbeck confesses to hitting his wife because he knew about her affair. The defence files a motion to dismiss on the grounds that the conditions he'd be kept in would amount to cruel and unusual punishment. After seeing how ill-equipped the prison system is to cope with inmates like Hallenbeck, Carmichael and McCoy agree to try and find a more humane solution. However, given that they know Hallenbeck was in control of himself when he killed his wife, they cannot support an insanity defence.
McCoy convinces a judge to deny the defence's motion to dismiss, and the judge rules Hallenbeck is fit to stand trial. His lawyer then arranges with McCoy to put Hallenbeck in a halfway house where he'll at least have somewhat better medical care. When Hallenbeck testifies to the judge that he killed his wife because she refused to stay in the marriage and take care of him, the judge agrees to this sentence.
This episode contains examples of:
- Accidental Murder: Mrs. Hallenbeck's killer had no intention to cause her death.
- The Charmer: By all accounts, Quinn was this.
- Daddy's Girl / Mama's Boy: The victim's children, respectively.
- Domestic Abuse: Mr. Hallenbeck's son claims his father was extremely demanding and controlling before he became ill.
- Deadpan Snarker: In series overflowing with them, M.E. Rodgers makes her case for the title with this gem:Briscoe: "Why'd you get into this line of work Rodgers?"Rodgers: "Free javelins."
- Downer Ending: For pretty much everyone, but especially Lisa, who (as Carmichael points out) has essentially lost her father twice.
- Fate Worse than Death: According to Dr. Skoda, Mr. Hallenbeck will suffer this.
- I Have Many Names: Quinn gets to know lots of women, each while using a different name. And Raymond Quinn isn't one of them.
- Likes Older Women: Quinn does, at least for their money.
- Noodle Incident: Dr. Rodgers can't give a time of death right away because she has to remove a javelin from someone's chest. How a person got impaled with a javelin is not explained.
- Taking the Heat: Lisa admits to the murder to prevent it from being discovered that her father did it.
- Title Drop: Referenced by Hallenbeck's son in relation to the "sundown effect" whereby patients with Alzheimer's Disease become less and less coherent throughout the day.
