Although Benjamin Bratt joins the Law And Order cast in this episode it's Sam Waterston who the spotlight is on in this story. Waterston likes to see justice even when he loses. And not only he but the justice system itself stood to lose here.
A young child is abducted by a man in a white glazier's truck. Jerry Orbach and Benjamin Bratt apprehend John Ventimiglia soon enough and he's a lowlife of sorts and they have a pretty good case on him. But as happened in real life in California, the victim's mother Ellen Greene brings a gun to court and shoots him during arraignment.
Like in California there's a wave of sympathy for her. But as we dig deeper all was definitely not as it seemed. The victim died while being held by Ventimiglia so it's murder any way you slice it via the Lindbergh law. As for Greene she and her former husband Tom Tammi used the child in real life as the rope in a tug of war.
Waterston steps ever so gingerly into the realm of perjury to get to the real story. But he and Steven Hill see the court shooting as an attack on all they believe and all they've dedicated their lives to.
Note also a really good performance by Marilyn Chris as Ventimiglia's mother. One to look out for.
A young child is abducted by a man in a white glazier's truck. Jerry Orbach and Benjamin Bratt apprehend John Ventimiglia soon enough and he's a lowlife of sorts and they have a pretty good case on him. But as happened in real life in California, the victim's mother Ellen Greene brings a gun to court and shoots him during arraignment.
Like in California there's a wave of sympathy for her. But as we dig deeper all was definitely not as it seemed. The victim died while being held by Ventimiglia so it's murder any way you slice it via the Lindbergh law. As for Greene she and her former husband Tom Tammi used the child in real life as the rope in a tug of war.
Waterston steps ever so gingerly into the realm of perjury to get to the real story. But he and Steven Hill see the court shooting as an attack on all they believe and all they've dedicated their lives to.
Note also a really good performance by Marilyn Chris as Ventimiglia's mother. One to look out for.