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Law & Order Season 7 Episodes
Season 7 Episode Guide
23 Episodes 1996 - 1997
Episode 1
Causa Mortis
Wed, Sep 18, 199648 mins
Detectives Briscoe and Curtis investigate the murder of Maureen Rankin who is found on a deserted tract of land. She died from a blow to the head though death was not instantaneous. The police believe she was the victim of a carjacking. They track the car and arrest the carjacker but a key piece of evidence is ruled inadmissible and his new assistant, Jamie Ross, is all for transferring the case to Federal jurisdiction when the death penalty will apply. The DA's office is batting zero after the judge in the case rules a second key piece of evidence inadmissible. It's left to McCoy to start playing hardball with the carjacker's fiancée if they want to have any hope of getting a conviction.
Episode 2
I.D.
Wed, Sep 25, 199660 mins
Detectives Briscoe and Curtis investigate the death of a young woman whose nude body is found in an office building elevator. She is eventually identified as Joanne Sullivan by her sister Lucy who is visiting from Indiana. Fingerprints and a report from New Jersey police reveal that Joanne and her husband were con artists who had recently been scamming casinos. The police develop the theory that Joanne may have been on the run from the mob but when they catch Lucy in an outright lie, they believe she murdered her sister. It's going to be a difficult case to prove as the judge, Nathan Marks, seems only interested in two things: ruling the DA's evidence inadmissible and making sexually suggestive comments to ADA Jamie Ross. Then there's also the simple matter of mistaken identity.
Episode 3
Good Girl
Wed, Oct 2, 199660 mins
Detectives Briscoe and Curtis investigate the murder of Charlie Monroe who was stabbed to death in his apartment. He had been seen with a young woman and there is every indication that she was in the apartment with him. Monroe was a hardworking African-American student, an upstanding young man whose only mark against him was a juvenile conviction when he was 12. A library book in his apartment leads them to Danielle Mason. She admits to having met Charlie at the library and then going to his apartment where he attacked and raped her. The evidence doesn't add up but when McCoy hesitates seeking an indictment, the case takes on racial overtones with Mason's lawyer arguing his client is being railroaded under pressure from the African-American community.
Episode 4
Survivor
Wed, Oct 23, 199648 mins
Detectives Briscoe and Curtis investigate the murder of Steven Campbell, a dealer in rare coins and antiques who is found bludgeoned to death in his store. Some relatively low value coins were taken but if it was a robbery, the thief left far more valuable coins on the shelves. Also missing are 40 Greek and Roman coins belonging to the victim's good friend, Richard Peterson. The detectives work on the premise that Campbell knew the killer as he let the person into the store after hours. It turns out Campbell was having financial difficulties and they suspect Peterson but it appears that someone was after Peterson claiming the missing coins belonged to them. It leads the to arrest of Judith Sandler whose father, a Holocaust survivor, once owned those coins. As the DA's office delves deeper into the case, a question arises as to whether Peterson ever owned the missing coins.
Episode 5
Corruption
Wed, Oct 30, 199660 mins
An officer-involved shooting during a drug sting turns out to be a murder for hire ordered my a major drug trafficker. During his testimony in front of a corruption tribunal, the officer accuses Briscoe of stealing evidence in a case several years earlier.
Episode 6
Double Blind
Wed, Nov 6, 199647 mins
Detectives Briscoe and Curtis investigate the murder of a building janitor Greg Franklin who is found shot to death in his apartment. Franklin was relatively new in that particular job and had previously worked as the night janitor at a local university for 9 years. The autopsy shows that the bullets used had been treated with fulminate of mercury and the evidence leads them to a student, Alan Sawyer who eventually confesses to the crime. When Alan tells them voices told him to kill Franklin as the janitor was a 600 year-old Templar knight they learn he is schizophrenic and the question becomes whether he should be committed. Alan was part of a study run by psychiatrist Christian Varick who it seems is more interested in keeping his grant money coming in than the health of those in the study group.
Episode 7
Deadbeat
Wed, Nov 13, 199646 mins
Detectives Briscoe and Curtis investigate the shooting death of Michael Malone who is found dead on the floor of his hotel room. While they're still examining the scene, Malone has visitors who definitely have a criminal backgrounds. According to Malone's girlfriend, the dead man was working for the FBI - after working for the CIA and others. It's all made up of course and Malone was actually Michael Webber who walked out on his family and owed his ex-wife Arlene a good amount of money despite making a hefty salary as a car broker. He liked living the party life and wanted to have it all. The evidence leads them to Arlene's father Max Schaeffer. He admits to shooting his son-in-law but says he acted in self-defense and records show that the gun used in the shooting actually belonged to the dead man. McCoy finds a hole in Schaeffer's story however and believes the murder was anything but an accident.
Episode 8
Family Business
Wed, Nov 20, 199646 mins
Detectives Briscoe and Curtis investigate the murder of Richard Spiegel, CFO of a major New York City department store. The company was run by Spiegel's wife Kate and her sister Laura after their father Seymour Bergreen retired. The investigation leads them to designer Paul Medici, who it turns out was having an affair with Kate. He has a solid alibi for the time of the killing, however. The detectives subsequently learn that the victim had consulted a criminal attorney and that Laura Bergreen may have been using employee pension funds to pay off the store's debts. When the detectives locate the murder weapon, they find that the gun was owned by Kate and had Laura's fingerprints on the barrel. Both sisters are arrested, but no evidence exists of a conspiracy and little specific information to point the finger at one or the other.
Episode 9
Entrapment
Wed, Jan 8, 199760 mins
Detectives Briscoe and Curtis investigate what appears to be an assassination attempt on Roland Brooks, the leader of the Africa-America Congress (AAC). Brooks himself had become the head of the AAC after the assassination of his predecessor, Marcus Tate. The initial investigation focuses on building contractors who were under AAC pressure to increase minority hiring. The focus however soon turns to Huey Tate, Brooks' predecessor as head of the AAC. The prosecution seems to have an open and shut case, but Tate's friend Angela Roney provides a tape recorded conversation with Tate where he admits he's going to kills Brooks. When it's revealed Roney was once a paid informant for the FBI, the prosecution's case quickly falls apart.
Episode 10
Legacy
Wed, Jan 15, 199760 mins
Detectives Briscoe and Curtis investigate the shooting of James Shepherd, who was walking to his home from the parking garage where he kept his car. He had just returned home from an outing with his wife Robin and 8-year-old daughter to celebrate the child's birthday. Forensics reports that the same weapon was used in a hit some two years before by a professional hit-man. A fixer points the finger at Robin Shepherd's former mother-in-law, Estelle Muller, whose son Rick was married to Robin until he died some 5 years earlier in a rock climbing accident in Central Park. Jim Shepherd was with Rick when he died, and Estelle is convinced Jim was responsible for her son's death. She makes no bones about having orderied the hit on Jim, but she offers to plead guilty if the police and DA investigates Jim for murdering her son. A new autopsy on Rick Muller shows he was hit on the head with a baseball bat before he fell. The DA decides to proceed against Jim Shepherd.
Episode 11
Menace
Wed, Feb 5, 199747 mins
Detectives Briscoe and Curtis investigate the death of Karen Marsh who, it seems, jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge. They soon establish that she had been in a fender bender and the driver of the other car forced her out of her car and chased her. She apparently leaped off the bridge to get away from him. Karen had been without a job since the shoe factory she worked in burned down some six months before. She had recently visited her old boss, Harold Dorning and he thought she was just fine. They eventually trace her attacker, "Crazy" Mike McDugan a man with a violent temper and a criminal record for assault. He admits to the road rage incident but insists that she jumped off the bridge on her own. The best the DA's office can get is an indictment for assault - until they learn that his one-time prison roommate was a professional arsonist which makes them look into the fire at the factory where she worked and her old boss.
Episode 12
Barter
Wed, Feb 12, 199746 mins
Detectives Briscoe and Curtis investigate the murder of Shelley Ganz who is found in her coop's parking garage shot in the back. Ganz was a financial analyst and apparently well-liked by everyone. She did work as the treasurer for her coop building but the police are unable to find any resident - or prospective resident - who might have an ax to grind. The do note that one of her neighbors, Susan Tashjian, bears a striking resemblance to the dead woman and wonder if she might have been the intended target. When she's gunned downed a few days later, it's obvious they were right. They quickly find the shooter and a pattern that leads them to unsolved murders. The common thread among all the victims is that they owed money to the Beechwood Loan Company owned by Sam "Bunny" Russo - who also had insurance policies on all of the victims.
Episode 13
Matrimony
Wed, Feb 19, 199746 mins
Detectives Briscoe and Curtis investigate the death of septuagenarian Peter Triandos, who is found dead - strangled - in his apartment. While still investigating the scene, the dead man's much younger wife, Kim Triandos, arrives, claiming she was at a museum ball while her husband was entertaining a group of disadvantaged students from his old primary school whom he promised, years before, that if they stayed in school he would pay for their college education. A total of 17 students were at the party. So was Kim Triandos's mother, who says one of the parents, Luis Polanco, got into an argument with Peter. The police quickly return to the young wife, however, when they catch her in a lie. She denies killing her husband, but the prosecutors think she conspired with her husband's lawyer, Oliver Shain. They soon learn that someone else was involved with with Shain.
Episode 14
Working Mom
Wed, Feb 26, 199746 mins
Detectives Briscoe and Curtis investigate the murder of Gilbert "Gilly" Keen, a retired cop who is found dead in his car, shot to death. The police suspect he may have been seeking the services of a prostitute, many of whom frequented the area. The investigation leads them to Hilary Colson and Sondra Benton, two suburban housewives who are working as call girls. They clearly have a case against Colson - her fingerprints were found in the car and her expensive lipstick on the body - but she claims Keen tried to force her to have sex and shot him with his own gun. ADA McCoy doesn't believe her and decides to prosecute.
Episode 15
D-Girl
Thu, Mar 13, 199744 mins
Detectives Briscoe and Curtis investigate when the partial remains of a woman are found in the river. The autopsy reveals the woman was cut up with a large knife, like a machete, and was likely cut up when she was still alive. She had cosmetic surgery and they manage to identify her as Heidi Ellison, the president of a Mattawin Studios in Hollywood. They focus on her personal trainer, Evan Grant, but he goes off to Los Angeles before they can get a blood test from him. The detectives follow him there but have trouble getting the blood sample when the court order ADA McCoy obtained is quashed. They find a way around that and Grant is returned to New York. He may have a reasonable alibi however. They then focus on Ellison's ex-husband, director Eddie Newman. Curtis meanwhile ends up on a date with an attractive studio executive, Lisa Lundquist.
Episode 16
Turnaround
Thu, Mar 20, 199745 mins
In the ongoing investigation into the death of Heidi Ellison, the murder weapon--a 100-year old knife--is found and turned into the police. The knife was found near a small airport where Ellison's ex-husband Eddie Newman took a private plane to Los Angeles on the night she was killed. After the police find her blood in Newman's car, they issue an arrest warrant for Newman. Briscoe and Curtis head back to LA, where they arrest him. But Newman's lawyers--who include Jamie Ross' ex-husband--contest his extradition, thus forcing McCoy and Ross to fly to LA to argue their case. Meanwhile, Curtis gets a job offer from studio executive Lisa Lundquist--and the offer of a relationship.
Episode 17
Showtime
Thu, Mar 27, 199746 mins
The trial of Hollywood director Eddie Newman begins amid a media circus and aggressive defense lawyers. It all becomes too personal when Jamie Ross' ex-husband Neil Gorton, one of Newman's lawyers, applies for sole custody of their daughter. When McCoy questions Jamie's work ethic and priorities, she quits. Ray Curtis turns down Lisa Lundquist's offer of a job and a relationship but she offers to testify on the animosity Newman had towards his ex-wife. The case isn't going well for the prosecution, particularly when the defense comes up with what seems to be an alternative suspect.
Episode 18
Mad Dog
Fri, Apr 4, 199760 mins
Detectives Briscoe and Curtis investigate the rape and murder of a young woman, Teresa Perez, who was found dead in her bed by her mother. They check out her boyfriend but he has a solid alibi. They're not even sure how the killer got into the building until they find a connecting duct with the building next door. The medical examiner can provide little forensic evidence but ADA McCoy is certain the perpetrator is Lewis Darnell, a convicted serial rapist who was recently released on parole in spite of his personal intervention at the parole hearing. With little evidence to go on, McCoy gets the police to harass Darnell - 24 hour surveillance, multiple searches of his home and workplace - in the hopes of getting him to break down and confess.
Episode 19
Double Down
Wed, Apr 16, 199760 mins
The police pull out all the stops when an off-duty police officer is killed trying to stop an armed robbery at a liquor store. The perpetrators cannot use their escape car because a delivery truck has boxed it in, so they hijack a cab and its driver, Mitchell Titus. The detectives manage to arrest one of the armed robbers, Henry Harp, and he offers to tell them where Titus is being held in return for a plea deal. ADA McCoy decides to go ahead with the deal after the police can't locate the kidnapped man. When the detectives find Titus dead, they suspect he was likely dead when Harp offered to make the deal. DA Schiff tells McCoy to throw out the deal and pursue murder charges, but it's not easy to convince a judge.
Episode 20
We Like Mike
Wed, Apr 30, 199746 mins
Detectives Briscoe and Curtis investigate the murder of Matthew Sherman, shot to death in his car. He was found by his sister who had been waiting for him in a nearby coffee shop. The murder appears to be a mugging, and the main suspect is a young man who had also been in the coffee shop briefly. The detectives locate the man, Mike Bodack, at his wedding rehearsal dinner. He claims he had helped Sherman change a flat tire. When the detectives find a drop of the victim's blood on Bodack's jacket, they arrest him at his wedding. Bodack relates that near the scene of the crime he saw a man with a snake tattoo on the back of his hand. The investigation leads them to Ricky Garcia but, when most of the evidence against Garcia is ruled inadmissible, Garcia is freed. The only way the prosecutors will get a conviction will be having Bodack testify, but he proves to be a reluctant witness.
Episode 21
Passion
Wed, May 7, 199746 mins
Detectives Briscoe and Curtis investigate the murder of book editor Joan Timberman who was found bludgeoned to death in the home of lawyer Diane Posner and college professor Charles Evans. Posner was away for the night at their country home and Evans was at a symposium at Vassar. Joan was smart and ambition and was editing Evans' latest manuscript. The police follow several possible leads but when they catch Diane Posner in a lie and forensics finds traces of the victim's hair in her car, she is arrested and charged with murder. Evidence however begins to suggest that Posner may be lying to protect Evans but the murderer is someone else altogether.
Episode 22
Past Imperfect
Wed, May 14, 199760 mins
Detectives Briscoe and Curtis investigate the murder of one-time supermodel Christine Sandal who is found dead by her next door neighbor Craig Holland who was waiting for her to arrive for a surprise party he was hosting in her honor. Holland tells the police she had epilepsy but the medical examiner is doubtful having found no evidence of a seizure. There was bruising on her upper arms however. Blood evidence leads them to believe a close relative was also at the crime scene and they focus on her son Douglas Burke. A canceled bank check however leads them to Sonja Harlann who turns out to have a special relationship with the dead model. When she's charged with murder it turns out that her lawyer may also be her co-conspirator in an attempt to claim a very large inheritance.
Episode 23
Terminal
Wed, May 21, 199746 mins
A man opens fire during the docking of a dinner cruise boat. The Governor appoints a special prosecutor because Schiff refuses to seek the death penalty; McCoy helps Schiff appeal while Ross helps the special prosecutor at trial. Schiff's wife is hospitalized following a stroke.
