Bodies (Law & Order episode)
Encyclopedia
"Bodies" is the first episode of the 14th season of Law & Order
, and 302nd episode overall.
ed and rape
d. Detectives Briscoe
and Green
later find a connection to an unsolved Brooklyn
homicide from five years earlier, featuring a similar victim and modus operandi
. The detectives are able to link several unsolved homicides and missing persons
reports and believe them all to be the work of a serial killer
. After speaking to some of the victims' families, they realize the victims were all abducted or found far from their homes, meaning they likely summoned a taxi. An investigation of the cab company leads them to the apartment of Mark Bruner, whose unsettling demeanor and evasion of the detectives' questions quickly make him a suspect. He is eventually held and charged with two counts of murder, and DNA evidence points to his irrefutable guilt.
Bruner is remand
ed without bail
at arraignment. His attorney, Jessica Sheets, is so disturbed by her client that she refuses to represent him (it is implied that Bruner threatened her). Bruner is subsequently represented by legal aid
lawyer Tim Schwimmer, who wants to use the case to further his career (it is his first murder case, having previously dealt mainly in property damage
cases). Jack McCoy
is willing to take the death penalty off the table for Bruner if he provides specific details about all of the murders he has committed. During plea negotiations, Bruner reveals vaguely how many girls he murdered (around fifteen). However, he refuses to disclose the location of his victims' bodies, having nothing to gain by doing so, as he feels life in prison
is no less worse than receiving the death penalty. After taunting McCoy and attempting to frighten Serena Southerlyn
, Bruner reveals that Schwimmer visited the site where the bodies of his victims are stashed. Schwimmer did not want the ADAs to know that he went to this location. At first, McCoy tries to pressure Schwimmer into revealing the location by leaking word of Schwimmer's actions to the press. Schwimmer's office is picketed by families of missing victims and he receives threats by phone. The previously cocky Schwimmer is now shaken and accosts McCoy for the press leak, for which McCoy does not admit responsibility. Arthur Branch
tells McCoy and Southerlyn that Schwimmer was "dumber than stupid" for visiting the location of Bruner's victims and putting himself in this situation. Bruner later says that the bodies were "under lock and key;" McCoy argues that this statement means that Schwimmer had to unlock, and then re-lock, the location where the bodies are; therefore he abetted Bruner's crime by helping to hide the bodies. McCoy has Schwimmer arrested.
At Schwimmer's trial, the parents of five missing girls testify that they need to know if their children are amongst Bruner's victims. Schwimmer regrets his earlier actions but refuses to break attorney-client privilege
, arguing that despite the benefit to families who want to put their loved ones to rest, he feels the system wouldn't work if he breaks that confidence. During a private conversation outside the courtroom before the verdict, the ADAs tell Schwimmer that "no bar association
in the country would consider disbarring" him for revealing the location, to which he replies, "Shame on them." Schwimmer is subsequently found guilty of being an accomplice
to murder. The episode ends with McCoy stating his belief that Schwimmer will reveal what he knows after spending a week in Attica
, to which Southerlyn replies, "I don't think so. We put the system on trial, we lost." McCoy speaks the last line of the program: Knock on wood
."
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
, and 302nd episode overall.
Plot
A teenage girl is found murdered in an alley, having been brutally assaultAssault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
ed and rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d. Detectives Briscoe
Lennie Briscoe
Leonard W. "Lennie" Briscoe is a fictional character on NBC's long running police procedural and legal drama television series Law & Order. He was featured on the show for 12 seasons, from 1992 to 2004. He was created by Walon Green and René Balcer, and was portrayed by Jerry Orbach...
and Green
Ed Green
Edward "Ed" Green is a fictional character on the NBC crime drama Law & Order, created by Rene Balcer and portrayed by Jesse L. Martin.-Character overview:...
later find a connection to an unsolved Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
homicide from five years earlier, featuring a similar victim and modus operandi
Modus operandi
Modus operandi is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as "mode of operation". The term is used to describe someone's habits or manner of working, their method of operating or functioning...
. The detectives are able to link several unsolved homicides and missing persons
Missing Persons
Missing Persons is an American band who plays a blend of New Wave and Pop rock. The band was founded in 1980 in Los Angeles by guitarist Warren Cuccurullo, vocalist Dale Bozzio, and drummer Terry Bozzio. They went on to add bassist Patrick O'Hearn and keyboardist Chuck Wild. Dale's quirky voice...
reports and believe them all to be the work of a serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
. After speaking to some of the victims' families, they realize the victims were all abducted or found far from their homes, meaning they likely summoned a taxi. An investigation of the cab company leads them to the apartment of Mark Bruner, whose unsettling demeanor and evasion of the detectives' questions quickly make him a suspect. He is eventually held and charged with two counts of murder, and DNA evidence points to his irrefutable guilt.
Bruner is remand
Detention of suspects
The detention of suspects is the process of keeping a person who has been arrested in a police-cell, remand prison or other detention centre before trial or sentencing. One criticism of pretrial detention is that eventual acquittal can be a somewhat hollow victory, in that there is no way to...
ed without bail
Bail
Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
at arraignment. His attorney, Jessica Sheets, is so disturbed by her client that she refuses to represent him (it is implied that Bruner threatened her). Bruner is subsequently represented by legal aid
Legal aid
Legal aid is the provision of assistance to people otherwise unable to afford legal representation and access to the court system. Legal aid is regarded as central in providing access to justice by ensuring equality before the law, the right to counsel and the right to a fair trial.A number of...
lawyer Tim Schwimmer, who wants to use the case to further his career (it is his first murder case, having previously dealt mainly in property damage
Property damage
Property damage is damage to or the destruction of public or private property, caused either by a person who is not its owner or by natural phenomena. Property damage caused by persons is generally categorized by its cause: neglect , and intentional damage...
cases). Jack McCoy
Jack McCoy
John James "Jack" McCoy is a fictional character in the television drama Law & Order, created by Michael S. Chernuchin and played by Sam Waterston since 1994. He is the second-longest tenured character on the show, after Lt. Anita Van Buren . On January 28, 2009, McCoy's character ended the longest...
is willing to take the death penalty off the table for Bruner if he provides specific details about all of the murders he has committed. During plea negotiations, Bruner reveals vaguely how many girls he murdered (around fifteen). However, he refuses to disclose the location of his victims' bodies, having nothing to gain by doing so, as he feels life in prison
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
is no less worse than receiving the death penalty. After taunting McCoy and attempting to frighten Serena Southerlyn
Serena Southerlyn
Serena Southerlyn is a fictional character on the long-running NBC drama series Law & Order.-Character overview:Southerlyn joined the District Attorney's office in 2001 as an ADA, replacing Abbie Carmichael...
, Bruner reveals that Schwimmer visited the site where the bodies of his victims are stashed. Schwimmer did not want the ADAs to know that he went to this location. At first, McCoy tries to pressure Schwimmer into revealing the location by leaking word of Schwimmer's actions to the press. Schwimmer's office is picketed by families of missing victims and he receives threats by phone. The previously cocky Schwimmer is now shaken and accosts McCoy for the press leak, for which McCoy does not admit responsibility. Arthur Branch
Arthur Branch
Arthur Branch is a fictional attorney and a regular character on the TV crime dramas Law & Order and Law & Order: Trial by Jury. Branch has also appeared on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and Conviction....
tells McCoy and Southerlyn that Schwimmer was "dumber than stupid" for visiting the location of Bruner's victims and putting himself in this situation. Bruner later says that the bodies were "under lock and key;" McCoy argues that this statement means that Schwimmer had to unlock, and then re-lock, the location where the bodies are; therefore he abetted Bruner's crime by helping to hide the bodies. McCoy has Schwimmer arrested.
At Schwimmer's trial, the parents of five missing girls testify that they need to know if their children are amongst Bruner's victims. Schwimmer regrets his earlier actions but refuses to break attorney-client privilege
Attorney-client privilege
Attorney–client privilege is a legal concept that protects certain communications between a client and his or her attorney and keeps those communications confidential....
, arguing that despite the benefit to families who want to put their loved ones to rest, he feels the system wouldn't work if he breaks that confidence. During a private conversation outside the courtroom before the verdict, the ADAs tell Schwimmer that "no bar association
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
in the country would consider disbarring" him for revealing the location, to which he replies, "Shame on them." Schwimmer is subsequently found guilty of being an accomplice
Accomplice
At law, an accomplice is a person who actively participates in the commission of a crime, even though they take no part in the actual criminal offense. For example, in a bank robbery, the person who points the gun at the teller and asks for the money is guilty of armed robbery...
to murder. The episode ends with McCoy stating his belief that Schwimmer will reveal what he knows after spending a week in Attica
Attica Correctional Facility
The Attica Correctional Facility is a maximum penitentiary in the town of Attica, New York, operated by the New York State Department of Correctional Services. After it was constructed in the 1930s, it held many of the most dangerous criminals of the time. A tear gas system is installed in the mess...
, to which Southerlyn replies, "I don't think so. We put the system on trial, we lost." McCoy speaks the last line of the program: Knock on wood
Knocking on wood
Knocking on wood, or to touch wood refers to the apotropaic tradition in western folklore of literally touching/knocking on wood, or merely stating that you are, in order to avoid "tempting fate" after making a favourable observation, a boast, or speaking of one's own death.*In some countries,...
."