Directed by Vern Gillum
Written by Robert Nathan, Dick Wolf, & David Black
A wealthy couple, Alan and Janet Ralston, are shot inside a parking lot and Alan is killed. The fact of the crime happening right by the precinct makes the police look bad, so Cragen orders the detectives to take care of it. They arrest convicted robber Willie Tivnan, who was in the parking lot at the time. But Greevey and Logan become suspicious that Mrs. Ralston is giving a very specific account of events - as if she'd been rehearsing her story. They also question why the Ralstons' stolen credit cards haven't been used.
Willie leads the detectives to discover that Mrs. Ralston may be having an affair with the Ralstons' financial advisor Gil Himes, and there's evidence Himes turned out the lights in the parking lot right before the shooting. Mrs. Ralston admits to the affair and says she broke up with him, so Himes shot her and her husband in revenge. But the evidence suggests she asked him to kill Mr. Ralston for the life insurance settlement.
Willie's description of the shooting indicates Mrs. Ralston shot the victim before Himes arrived. She and Himes are both charged with murder. Stone repeatedly tries to get one to testify against the other but can't, even when Himes reveals he knows where the murder weapon is. So Stone calls them both for a meeting and offers a plea to whoever takes it first. Himes accepts, and an enraged Mrs. Ralston attacks him. He produces the gun and tells the jury how she planned the murder. She is convicted.
This episode contains examples of:
- A Deadly Affair: Mrs. Ralston's story is that Himes shot her and her husband because he was jealous over her ending their affair.
- Erudite Stoner: Willie is much more educated and well-spoken than you might expect from a violent crack addict.
- "Eureka!" Moment: Stone has one after Willie describes hearing a shot before the lights went out - when Mrs. Ralston shot her husband before Himes arrived.
- Gun Nut: The detectives learn that shortly before the murder, Mrs. Ralston insisted on going to another state to buy a gun for "self-defence." In court, Stone brings in a very enthusiastic saleswoman to attest to this.
- Ripped from the Headlines: Based on the case of Charles Stuart, who shot himself as well as his wife in order to pass off her murder as a mugging.
- Slave to PR: Cragen is very concerned about how the case will affect the precinct's reputation.
