A meter maid witnesses a child being kidnapped and taken away in a car. The detectives race against time to find him, but it's too late - the boy, Kevin, shows up dead. At the home of the car's owner Roger Kraslow, Green and Cassady find another boy: Torey Quinlan, who was abducted five years ago. Kraslow's story doesn't add up, and it's discovered the killer was actually Torey. After speaking to him, Olivet concludes he has the mental capacity for free will and was fully aware it was wrong to kill Kevin. Torey had developed a father-son bond with Kraslow, and was angry at what he saw as Kraslow trying to replace him with a younger boy.
The jury is sympathetic to Torey, and McCoy will lose the case unless he can make a deal. But when Rubirosa notices Torey's covering up injuries with makeup, she and McCoy learn Torey's been abused by his stepfather since early childhood. McCoy uses this to convince the jury that Torey has a history of exposure to violence and acted of his own free will; he did not want to risk losing Kraslow and having to go back to his parents. Torey is convicted of murder, but McCoy pushes for the lowest possible sentence and plans to arrange help for Torey in jail. He feels that no one really "won" this case.
This episode contains examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Torey's stepfather, Doug Quinlan.
- Attention Whore: When Torey's returned to his family after spending five years in captivity with a pedophile, his mother and stepfather's first response is to go on a bunch of TV shows with him.
- Death of a Child: Kevin is kidnapped and murdered.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones" After having kidnapped Torey and sexually abused him, Kraslow eventually started to love him—so much that he was willing to Take The Heat for killing Kevin.
- Fell Down The Stairs: Before Torey was kidnapped, he had injuries which his parents said were the result of falling off a bike. At his trial, he has a black eye which his parents say resulted from him walking into a door.
- Heel Realization: Torey's mother, when it dawns on her he preferred to be with Kraslow rather than her and her husband.
- The Kindnapper: Torey claims Kraslow grew into this; after a year or two he stopped sexually abusing Torey, let him go where he wanted and cared for him like a father.
- Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: Torey's defense relies on this to say Kraslow drove him to kill Kevin.
- Removing the Rival: Why Torey murdered Kevin.
- Stockholm Syndrome: Olivet says Torey had developed this.
- Taking the Heat: Kraslow admitted to the murder that Torey comitted.
