Annabeth must choose between making a case against a kidnapping suspect or saving his victim's life. Annabeth takes a huge gamble when she denies kidnapping suspect, Derrick Adler (guest star Mason Gamble) his right to have a lawyer present during his interrogation in order to force a confession with the hope that he will lead the police to his victim's whereabouts so that she can be brought home alive. Derrick had kidnapped college mate Amy Flynn (guest star Shannon Floyd) after a campus party, a person who he has been stalking for over a year. With time running out Annabeth is put in a tough predicament. Meanwhile, Maureen must decide whether or not to prosecute a detective who obstructed justice in order to protect a fellow cop.
Annabeth finds it difficult to convince the women working for the ring leader to testify against her because they are afraid that their husbands will leave them and take away their children. Meanwhile, Steve urges Maureen to push for more drug convictions so that their office can receive a $7 million grant from the federal government.
After a competency hearing finds that the woman is fit to stand trial, Annabeth tries to find a motive for the murder and discovers several skeletons in the church-going couple's closet. Meanwhile, Maureen finds out there is more to the story behind a seemingly open and shut case of justifiable homicide. Annie Potts (""Any Day Now"") guest stars as Dr. Marla Dodds, the defendant's razor sharp, media-loving lawyer.
Annabeth and Maureen prosecute a case involving siblings whose parents are found murdered after they discover a secret which the teenagers had been keeping from them. Meanwhile, Maureen and Annabeth admit to each other that they sometimes think that each other's life is more desirable -- Maureen wishes she had a family to go home to, while Annabeth wishes she did not have to be responsible for anyone but herself.
Annabeth must combat the defense’s strategy of putting the victim’s parents on trial by claiming their lifestyle and the father’s relationship with the defendant is to blame for their son’s death. Now, Annabeth must find evidence that will convince a jury that the defendant is guilty of the murder of the 6-year-old boy.
During the investigation of the crime, Annabeth discovers a picture of the defendant and the victim's husband, leading her to believe that the murder of his wife may not have been an accident. Meanwhile, Steve asks for Maureen's help after he must recuse himself from the appeal of a death penalty case after a key witness accuses him of suborning perjury.
Annabeth prosecutes a case involving a gangster who resorts to violence to prevent a key witness from testifying against him. When the defendant realizes that Annabeth might be able to convince a jury to convict him of the crimes he is accused of, he then has members of his gang threaten to harm Annabeth's daughter in order to scare her from trying the case.
A man high on meth that has killed two people has apparently killed the wrong two, Annabeth discovers after beginning prosecution. During the murder investigation the defendant reveals the identities of the intended targets. Annabeth attempts to track them down in order to convince them to testify against the drug lord so that he can be brought to trial. Meanwhile, Steve worries that the nature of the crime will cause a media circus and asks Maureen to keep the press at bay.
Annabeth is assigned to try a case involving the death of a all star baseball player by an opposing player (Cole Evan Weiss). Sammy's parents seem more worried about his athletic career rather than the severity of the crime. During the investigation prior to the boy's trial, Annabeth discovers a videotape of the attack which causes her to suspect the boy's coach may have encouraged him to hit his opponent after their team lost the game. Meanwhile, Maureen's younger sister is arrested for shoplifting.
Annabeth prosecutes a case involving a respected doctor who accuses a teenage delinquent of murdering his wife. Annabeth learns there's more to the story when the suspect arrested for the murder has an airtight alibi for the night the crime was committed. As a result, Annabeth delves deeper into the case only to find out that the doctor's wife was planning to sue her husband for divorce because he was hiding a dark secret.
A successful African-American man is abducted from his home and presumed dead. A suspect is quickly arrested and refuses to cooperate, but he reveals the location of the body to his lawyer. Annabeth tries to persade the defending attorney to testify against his client after a second black man goes missing, hoping to stop the hate crimes, but the man is reluctant to betray his client's confidence.
A recently paroled sex offender who moves into Annabeth's neighborhood becomes the prime suspect in the rape of a young woman. Although the victim identifies the paroled rapist as the man who attacked her, Annabeth does not think she can convince a jury that he is guilty of committing the crime because the behavior he exhibited is different from his usual M.O. Meanwhile, Maureen tells Steve that they should ease up on Annabeth's work load because she thinks juggling a new baby along with all of her cases is spreading her too thin.
Annabeth tries to convince the mother of a man who confesses to the murders of three people to testify against her son after a judge rules the blood found in the defendant's home is inadmissible in court. The defendant's attorney argues in court that his client did not commit any crimes but confessed to the killings because he is fascinated by crime and police investigations. Annabeth's case against the defendant begins to crumble after one woman he confesses killing turns up alive and admits she ran away from her parents to be with her boyfriend. Annabeth tries to convince the defendant's mother to testify against her son in order to salvage her case and bring the defendant to justice.
When Annabeth has to prosecute a man for killing his mother-in-law, his defense attorney creates a case against his own wife by claiming she committed the murder in order to establish reasonable doubt for the jury. The judge throws out the defendant's testimony after his lawyer claims that he was not given legal counsel during his interrogation. When Annabeth learns of a hidden secret in the defendant's past which easily explains why he killed his mother-in-law, the defense tries to deliberately mislead the jury into believing the defendant's wife committed the murder in order to create doubt.
Annabeth tries to build a case against a convicted criminal whom she put in jail years earlier after he is arrested for robbing a jewelry store. After he is arrested for robbery, the D.A.'s office learns that during the convict's escape from jail he murdered a guard and kidnapped a young woman whom he has held hostage for a year. During the investigation, Annabeth discovers inconsistencies in the kidnapped woman's story and uncovers a secret causing her to question who is really to blame for the prison-break and robbery.
Annabeth and her office investigate a string of real-estate fraud cases involving a crooked real estate developer. Annabeth and her D.A team try to help homeoowners who are being scammed into buying homes more than they're worth by the housing developer who build them. It gets to the point where the real estate developer fires her own husband from his contruction housing job in order not to get caught by the D.A.
Annabeth attempts to link several of her former classmates to the murder of their high school friend who dies after a game of touch football.
Annabeth gets involved on a murder trial where her victim was strangled the night before her wedding. During the trial Annabeth discovers that her victim was hiding a terrible secret from her friends and family which may have lead to her death---that she was previously married and not a virgin that many had thought to believe..
Annabeth brings down a high school basketball player on murder charges on the death of another teammate in court. The suspect confesses that it was an accident. During the teenager's trial, a witness comes forward to testify that the shooting was intentional. Soon after hearing the testimony, the defendant's father changes his initial statement and confesses to the crime. Convinced that the teenager's father is lying to protect his son from prosecution, Annabeth digs deeper and stumbles upon a secret the boys were keeping which may have been the motive for the shooting.
When a professional baseball player goes on trial for the murder of his mistress, Annabeth has to go up against a high-powered celebrity defense lawyer.
Annabeth prosecutes two teenagers for the murder of a man they claim was an online sexual predator. However, the more she investigates the more the teenagers' story falls apart. And at home, she and Jack make plans to go on vacation, not knowing that their lives will soon change.
As Annnabeth is still being challenged with the changes of being a single mother after her husband's death, she also has to adjust to a lot of changes at her job.
Annabeth prosecutes a woman who claims that she killed her husband in self defense.
Annabeth's case involves herself prosecuting a man who is being convicted of drugging and raping a teenage girl next door to his house. At first it seems like an open-and-shut case. Annabeth soon discovers there is more to story with the suspect's wife and that the couple may be hiding a dark secret.
Annabeth prosecutes a drug addict for the murder of a young woman, when evidence that a dormant serial killer may be the actual suspect surface.
The team investigate the murder of a prominent buisnessman's wife and discover that her husband and father-in-law were involved in her death.
Two football players are charged with a teammate's murder.
The team investigates a man's murder during a function at his kids school. Further investigations reveal a secret affair between the victim and another woman.
A minister's wife and secretary are possible suspects when he is found dead in his home; when the team discovers that the church's building fund is missing, they realize the case is about greed
Annabeth prosecutes a man for the murder of his co-worker. The case gets complicated when his sons fingerprints are also found on the murder weapon.
A courthouse shooting results in one lawyer dead and another, Annabeth's friend Doug Hellman, badly wounded. The shooter, a man looking for justice for his murdered daugher, is looked at as a sympathetic victim. His lawyer tries to transfer blame to the prosecutor's office for mishandling the orignal case that led to his daughter's killer going free.
A woman is killed the night she gets engaged and the suspect is her excessively obsessed uncle, a recovering alcoholic who was discovered drunk near the scene of the crime. The defense team pleads insanity, but Annabeth feels that she has a solid case when she makes a discovery of another crime the man committed that has the same characteristics that demonstrates his unstableness.
Annabeth prosecutes an English Professor after he kills another man during a road rage incident. Meanwhile, Maureen appeals the vehicular homicide ruling for the drunk driver who killed Annabeth's husband.
A woman dies during a little plastic-surgery operation, and her husband asserts it was murder and not a chance event. Annabeth is unwilling to take the case, but the evidence displays there was a troubled past between the victim and the doctor that offered ample motive.
Annabeth prosecutes a college student for a bank robbery, who did it to fund a gambling dependency. However, the case takes an peculiar turn when the young man is discovered dead.
A surrogate mother is found dead in her home and the baby's biological mother is arrested for her murder.
The Dean of a prep school is suspected of killing his wife, and attempting to make it look like a suicide. The prosecutor's office and public defenders compete over a basketball game.
Annabeth and Conlon disagree on whether to seek the death penalty or not for a developmentally disabled defendant who is charged with killing a respected judge.
Annabeth appeals to have the statue of limitations for be increased, after a raptist confesses to a woman that he raped her 11 years ago.
Annabeth prosecutes a man suspected of murdering his father but when the supposed killer's mother recants her first assertion that her son assaulted her and killed his dad, the case falters.
The team uncovers a group of dirty cops while prosecuting a drug dealer for murder.
Annabeth tries to re-prosecute a dirty cop for murder, after a witness in his previous case is found dead.
While the case against the corrupt police officers continue, someone in the D.A's office is murdered.