For over three decades, the Law & Order franchise has been a compelling courtroom drama. Every episode follows the law enforcement process from beginning to end, starting with the initial police investigation and ending with the prosecution of the offenders. From gruesome murders to harrowing kidnappings, the original series and its multitude of spin-offs have covered every type of crime imaginable.
Throughout the years, every series in the franchise has featured some very controversial outcomes to certain cases. This includes criminals who got away with their crimes, eluded capture, or received a much lighter sentence than they deserved. Unfortunately, this is an accurate portrayal of what sometimes happens in real-life court cases. Nevertheless, these outcomes often angered fans, who would rather have seen justice done.
10 Called Home Ended In A Mistrial (Law & Order)
When Cyrus Lupo joined the detective ranks in Law & Order, audiences watched him struggle with investigating a very personal crime: a woman helped her terminally ill brother commit suicide. It turns out that a hospice nurse named Mila Lingard is responsible for the crime, but there is a major twist in the case.
It's revealed that Mila is the daughter of an infamous doctor who went to prison for utilizing a system to help patients end their lives. Dr. Lingard takes the stand and claims full responsibility for his daughter's crimes - right before everyone discovers that he has poisoned himself. In "Called Home," Dr. Lingard dies in the courtroom, leaving behind a distraught Detective Lupo, a mistrial for Mila, and very angry fans.
9 The Murder In Neighborhood Watch Was Senseless (Criminal Intent)
In season 7 of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, a registered sex offender is brutally murdered and dumped into a river when he moves into a new neighborhood. His new neighbors are instant suspects because they do nothing to hide their disdain for the criminal. Detective Logan is disgusted by how dismissive the public and police are towards the young man's death, and takes it upon himself to crack the case.
The actual trial isn't shown in "Neighborhood Watch," but viewers still found the episode's outcome frustrating. The young man was murdered because he tried to impress a girl in the neighborhood after being harassed by the police and civilians. At the conclusion of the episode, Logan mirrors the audience's disapproval of the outcome with Captain Ross, bemoaning the senselessness of the murder.
8 There Was No Justice In Quit Claim (Law & Order)
This season 18 episode of Law & Order features an impressive con artist named Kim Brody who manages to swindle nearly every person she meets. She tricks her attorney into helping her conceal potential evidence by luring him into a short-lived romance.
Detectives and audiences are eager to see Kim Brody brought to justice, but in a frustrating twist, she finds a way to avoid jail time. She claims to have information that will help a sprawling federal case and - despite the fact that the local detectives believe she's lying - is exempted from a multiple murder trial in exchange for her cooperation.
7 Sentences Were Too Lenient In Cradle To Grave (Law & Order)
In this harrowing episode of the original Law & Order series, a baby freezes to death in an unheated apartment. The landlord - a woman more interested in the money than in the well-being of her tenants - refused to turn on the furnace in the building.
The landlord even hired Joseph Turner to pretend to be a horrible tenant so that he would drive tenants out of the building. Turner is put on trial, but a mistrial is declared after a juror questions the validity of Spanish translations used in the trial. The episode ends without anyone being held responsible for the death of the innocent child.
6 Detective Logan's Career Is Jeopardized In Last Rites (Criminal Intent)
Wrongful convictions are an especially frustrating part of the justice system, and this season 7 episode of Criminal Intent brings audiences and Detective Logan face to face with a miscarriage of justice. The wrong man spent sixteen years in prison for the tragic murder of a pregnant woman and her husband, thanks to a politically ambitious A.D.A. who refused to explore alternate theories.
Detective Logan goes on a crusade to hold the right man responsible, but there's one problem: the actual offender is dead. Logan butts heads with the A.D.A, which results in a frustrating outcome to the case. The A.D.A. helps free the wrongfully convicted man, but takes all the credit for the discovery and threatens Logan's job in the process. For Detective Logan, no good deed goes unpunished.
5 A Young Murderer Walked Free In Killerz (Law & Order)
This season 10 episode of the original series is undeniably hard to watch. "Killerz" saw a ten-year-old girl on trial for murdering a little boy, and Jack McCoy has to argue the proper punishment for such a crime. Audiences watch the young girl, Jenny Brandt, exhibit callous disdain for the boy she killed, her neglectful mother, and the entire court proceedings.
Difficult as it may be to imagine a child being capable of such a crime, the prosecution presents a compelling case for Jenny's potential to commit even worse crimes if she is allowed to go free. She is ultimately released to the care of a mother, a woman who seems barely capable of caring for the girl. This outcome frustrated fans because there were truly no winners in the situation, not even Jenny herself.
4 A Killer Avoids Justice In Beast's Obsession (Special Victims Unit)
One of Special Victims Unit's most compelling recurring characters is Bronwyn Freed, a juror-turned-accomplice who helps sadistic killer William Lewis in his escape from prison. What unfolds is a harrowing cat-and-mouse game that results in Detective Olivia Benson nearly being assaulted by the killer.
The outcome of "Beast's Obsession" angered fans because William Lewis commits suicide at the end of it, leaving Detective Benson traumatized and completely recusing himself from having to serve his well-deserved sentence. His death also makes it impossible for the young girls he killed and hurt in this episode to ever get justice.
3 The Suspect Got Away With Murder In Hammered (Special Victims Unit)
In season 11 of Law & Order: SVU, a man named Dalton Rindell beat a woman to death with a hammer while highly intoxicated. In "Hammered," Rindell repeatedly insists that he doesn't drink alcohol, but his ex-wife confirms that Rindell was an alcoholic.
Rindell gets off on a mistrial because prosecutor Paxton plays the wrong version of a video reenactment of the crime (one that features the accused's face), and comes to court drunk the next day. This outcome angered viewers because Paxton was already an unpopular character in Special Victims Unit, and this added fuel to the fire among longtime fans.
2 Richard Wheatley Gets Off Scot Free In People Vs Richard Wheatley (Organized Crime)
Law & Order: Organized Crime is the most recent addition to the franchise, and features fan-favorite Detective Elliot Stabler. In an epic crossover between Organized Crime and SVU, Detective Stabler finally sees his wife's killer, Richard Wheatley, go on trial.
Richard Wheatley is a sophisticated criminal who uses underhanded tactics to manipulate witnesses. In the end, the jury is deadlocked and a mistrial is declared. To make matters worse, the D.A. decides to not retry Wheatley for the murder. The outcome of this case was a slap in the face for fans and Detective Stabler.
1 Obscene Deadlocked The Jury (Special Victims Unit)
In this season 6 episode of Law & Order: SVU, a television star is found beaten in her trailer on a film set. The actress is only sixteen years old, but people frequently accuse her of "corrupting" young girls with her risqué public persona.
The son of a "family values" activist group is accused of the assault but claims he was motivated by a radio shock jock. Eventually, a mistrial is declared. However, the most upsetting part of the outcome was the fact that the accused boy's mother used the trial to gain publicity for herself.