Todd Hauser dies in an emergency room after experiencing stomach pains. Massive internal bruising is determined as the cause of death leading detectives Lupo and Bernard to uncover the victim's involvement in street fighting. The detectives look for a helpful witness and usable evidence. When Hauser's street fighting opponent gets a lesser sentence than the victim's family hoped for, his brother and friends take matters into their own hands.
Rick Devon's body is found in a park, and the death is assumed to be drug related. Detectives Cyrus Lupo and Kevin Bernard stumble find a key in a bathroom that could have been left by the killer.
Luke Friendly finds himself alone in New York City when his brother disappears and is then found murdered. The case leads Lieutenant Anita Van Buren and Detectives Lupo and Bernard to the leader of the boy's church, Landon Wyatt, who is looking for his teenage runaway wife, Michelle Landon.
When a crane falls and kills a man, detectives find evidence that leads them to the junior foreman who was having an affair with the victim's wife.
When a tourist from upstate New York is murdered, Detectives Bernard and Lupo head upstate to investigate. A.D.A Michael Cutter and Detective Lupo believe Sheriff John Burkhart and his deputies might have been involved in the killing but have no way to prove it. Meanwhile, D.A. Jack McCoy faces some competition when a new District Attorney is considered for the election.
The search for Sweetie Ness' killer, leads Detectives Lupo and Bernard to Lauren Claiborne, a member in the entourage at the club where the deceased was last seen.
Detective Lupo and Detective Bernard arrive at a crime scene where Nancy Hartwig has been found murdered. Nancy's support of her husband is called into question when the detectives discover that she may have done some things which he would not have approved of.
Divorce lawyers Fred and Lizzy Bellamy are murdered in their home. The investigation leads to Ann Carter, who is involved in a child custody battle with her husband Bill regarding their adopted Haitian daughter, who detectives think was molested and then sent back to Haiti.
Charlie Sawyer, the plaintiff in a class action lawsuit involving the death of his father due to a plane crash years earlier, is found dead in his car holding on to an oxygen canister.
Harold and Joyce Foley come home to find their son Eric and the housekeeper brutally murdered. Detectives Lupo and Bernard believe that the Foleys' work on a controversial pharmaceutical study made them targets.
Vic Russell is found murdered after a business meeting with Stan Klein, whom he partners with in the ownership of a trucking company. Detectives Lupo and Bernard, who are handling the case, discover that Klein might have been part of a scheme to swindle Russell.
An NYPD officer is killed by fellow officers after he takes hostages at gunpoint. Detectives Lupo and Bernard's investigation leads them to some valuable stolen documents, and a dead body, all hidden in the officer's apartment.
Carly DiGrappa, a war widow who may or may not have a grudge against the Army, is found unconscious in an Army Recruitment Center beside her lifeless newborn after an explosion.
Detectives Bernard and Lupo investigate a murder that involves prosecutors in an internal conspiracy.
Detectives Lupo and Bernard investigate the possible hit-and-run death of the mistress of failed investment bank CEO, Andy Gardner. As they investigate, they uncover a kidnapping and extortion plot leading them to a number of possible suspects, including disgruntled client Davey Burke.
Alex Boone, a middle-aged writer, and David Sutton, a graduate student, are involved in a heated altercation. The following day, Boone's dead body is found in a local park with no identification.
While investigating the murder of television reporter Dawn Prescott, detectives Lupo and Bernard discover that she was involved in a love triangle involving another reporter at the station, Al Lee.
Detectives Kevin Bernard and Cyrus Lupo investigate the case of Oswaldo Morales, an illegal immigrant found unconscious but still alive on a service road. When the detectives find a possible link to Oswaldo's attack and nine recent racially motivated incidents, they uncover a deep-seated, dangerous bias against Hispanic men within the community.
When a firefighter and his wife are found tortured and brutally murdered in their new townhome, Detectives Lupo and Bernard struggle to find a motive. The couple's recent purchase of an expensive Art Deco lamp signals to Lieutenant Van Buren that they were living beyond their means.
Two young engaged scientists die in a fire and a mentally challenged neighbor Charlie Headlind is badly burned trying to save the couple. Detectives Cyrus Lupo and Kevin Bernard discover that both of the victims were stabbed before they burned in the fire, leading them to a mentally disturbed woman, Wendy Teal, Charlie's former girlfriend.
The murders of three homeless men appear to be the work of a serial killer. As Detectives Lupo and Bernard investigate, they discover that one victim was wearing a distinctive pair of roller-skates that did not belong to him. Realizing that this could be a case of mistaken identity, they suspect the murders may have been committed by a copycat who knows the identity of the real serial killer.
The murder of a prominent charity executive leads Detectives Lupo and Bernard down a twisted path of political intrigue. The detectives discover a connection between the murdered executive's secretary, her ex-boyfriend and a top politician's wife. The investigation takes a turn when claims of stalking and blackmail surface, revealing a secret desire for a newly vacated seat in the State Senate.