Magnificat (Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode)
Encyclopedia
Magnificat is a fourth season episode of the television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent
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During the investigation, forensics discovered the car blew up because of a pipe bomb put under the car. Initially, they thought it was the work of suspected Middle East terrorists targeting the father, an engineer who invented a type of landmine being used in the Middle East, but the suspects turned out to be innocent civilians. As investigation grows, the detectives look at the father, but later deduce that the mother was responsible for the bombing. She breaks down during questioning and confesses that because of the pressures put on her by religious beliefs and the fact she was denied needed anti-depressants by her husband, she attempted to kill herself and her children, saying that "she'd be a better mother in Heaven". She and the oldest boy only survived because he was playing with the power windows in the car at the time of the explosion and the open windows saved their lives.
In the end, the woman is charged with three counts of first-degree murder, and one count of attempted murder. Goren, who had not been able to get any charges filed against the husband for his part in the crime despite his guilt and obvious indifference, makes sure that the father will not get custody of the surviving son by getting the grandmother an attorney.
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...
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Plot summary
In this episode, Detectives Goren and Eames investigate the deaths of three boys and injury to their mother and older brother when a car exploded. It leads to a very questionable family relationship with the father.During the investigation, forensics discovered the car blew up because of a pipe bomb put under the car. Initially, they thought it was the work of suspected Middle East terrorists targeting the father, an engineer who invented a type of landmine being used in the Middle East, but the suspects turned out to be innocent civilians. As investigation grows, the detectives look at the father, but later deduce that the mother was responsible for the bombing. She breaks down during questioning and confesses that because of the pressures put on her by religious beliefs and the fact she was denied needed anti-depressants by her husband, she attempted to kill herself and her children, saying that "she'd be a better mother in Heaven". She and the oldest boy only survived because he was playing with the power windows in the car at the time of the explosion and the open windows saved their lives.
In the end, the woman is charged with three counts of first-degree murder, and one count of attempted murder. Goren, who had not been able to get any charges filed against the husband for his part in the crime despite his guilt and obvious indifference, makes sure that the father will not get custody of the surviving son by getting the grandmother an attorney.
Cast
| Vincent D'Onofrio Vincent D'Onofrio Vincent Phillip D'Onofrio is an American actor, director, film producer, writer, and singer. Often referred to as an actor's actor, his work as a character actor has earned him the nickname of "Human Chameleon"... |
Det. Robert Goren Robert Goren Det. Robert "Bobby" Goren is a fictional character featured in the NBC-USA Network police procedural and legal drama television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent, portrayed by Vincent D'Onofrio.... |
| Kathryn Erbe Kathryn Erbe Kathryn Elsbeth Erbe is an American actress known for her role as Det. Alexandra Eames in Law & Order: Criminal Intent, a spin-off of Law & Order, and death row inmate Shirley Bellinger in the HBO series Oz.-Personal life:... |
Det. Alexandra Eames Alexandra Eames Det. Alexandra "Alex" Eames is a fictional police detective with the NYPD Major Case Squad featured in the NBC-USA Network Law & Order: Criminal Intent, portrayed by Kathryn Erbe... |
| Jamey Sheridan Jamey Sheridan James Patrick "Jamey" Sheridan is an American actor. He was born in Pasadena, California.He has had a prolific acting career in theater, television, and feature film productions. Born to a family of actors, he made it to Broadway and earned a Tony nomination in 1987 for his performance in the... |
Capt. James Deakins James Deakins Captain James Deakins is a fictional character on the NBC-USA Network U.S. television series, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, played by Jamey Sheridan.On the show, Deakins supervises New York City's Major Case Squad... |
| Courtney B. Vance Courtney B. Vance Courtney Bernard Vance is an American actor. He was formerly a regular on the NBC/USA television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent as Assistant District Attorney Ron Carver. He was also a series regular on the ABC series FlashForward. As of 2011, he appears on the TNT series The Closer as Chief... |
A.D.A. Ron Carver Ron Carver Ron Carver is a fictional character on the NBC-USA Network series, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, played by Courtney B. Vance.Carver often works in conjunction with detectives Robert Goren, Alexandra Eames, Mike Logan and Carolyn Barek of the Major Case Squad. He graduated from John Jay College of... |
Facts
- This episode revealed many resemblances with the case of Andrea YatesAndrea YatesAndrea Yates is a former Houston, Texas resident who killed her five children on June 20, 2001 by drowning them in the bathtub in her house. She had been suffering for some time with very severe postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis...
, considering it was aired after the murders, but it is supposedly connected to the trial.