Under pressure from the department's top brass, a 20-year-old murder case, initially investigated by Briscoe's now-retired boss, is reopened; it involves the slaying of a teenage girl, with the spoiled son of a politically connected family as the prime suspect.

An assistant manager at a jeweler's discovers four bodies at the store, leading to the prosecution of an amiable murder suspect who insists on representing himself, and winning the admiration of a female juror.