Identity (5 Nov. 2003)

An 80-year-old man is accused of killing the man who stole his identity and caused him to lose his home. However, the defendant's son wants him declared incompetent to stand trial.

Director:

Jace Alexander

Writers:

Dick Wolf (creator), Janis Diamond

Stars:

Jerry Orbach, Jesse L. Martin, S. Epatha Merkerson

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Jerry Orbach	...	Detective Lennie Briscoe
Jesse L. Martin	...	Detective Ed Green
S. Epatha Merkerson	...	Lt. Anita Van Buren
Sam Waterston	...	Jack McCoy
Elisabeth Röhm	...	A.D.A. Serena Southerlyn
Fred Dalton Thompson	...	D.A. Arthur Branch
Paul Benjamin	...	Lonnie Jackson
Roscoe Lee Browne	...	Aaron Miller
Carl Gordon	...	Horace Worthington
Ruben Santiago-Hudson	...	Dr. Paul Jackson
Jodie Markell	...	Mrs. Hitchens
Leslie Hendrix	...	Dr. Elizabeth Rodgers
Carolyn McCormick	...	Dr. Elizabeth Olivet
Lorraine Toussaint	...	Shambala Green
Maddie Corman	...	Andee Mae Haley

Storyline

Detectives Lennie Briscoe and Ed Green investigate the murder of a man by the name of Lonnie Jackson. As they look into the man's history, several facts simply don't add up. It begins to make sense when they figure out that the dead man had in fact stolen the real Lonnie Jackson's identity by using information he found on him on the Internet. He then proceeded to sell Lonnie's house. The real Lonnie is an 80 year-old African-American who worked hard all of his life and who suddenly finds himself homeless and is ashamed of the situation he now finds himself in. He's alienated from his son, Dr. Paul Jackson, who hires his father a lawyer who seeks to have Lonnie declared incompetent and therefore unable to be prosecuted.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 November 2003 (USA)

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wolf Films, Universal Network Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Executive A.D.A. Jack McCoy: Do you know what a Pyrrhic victory is, Mr Jackson?
Lonnie Jackson: I'm not really sure.
Executive A.D.A. Jack McCoy: That's when you win but you really lose. Like this hearing: if I win, I get to say that you're competent, in which case, I get to go into another courtroom and try to prove that you did something I know you did, but at the same time I can't prove.
Lonnie Jackson: So why don't we just call it a day?
Executive A.D.A. Jack McCoy: It's what they call going through the motions, it's what I get paid for. So will you bear with me?
Lonnie Jackson: Sure.

User Reviews

I took back me!

This is one of my favorite episodes because it assumes that an elderly gent just can't possibly be responsible for his actions or take justice into his hands.

Of course, the fact that it also had my favorite A.D.A. Serena Southerlyn (Elisabeth Röhm) makes it a winner, too.

Paul Benjamin (The Station Agent) gave a great performance as Lonnie Jackson, the 79-year-old man who was the victim of identity theft and all he owned.

Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Their Eyes Were Watching God, Lackawanna Blues) was the son who didn't have time for his father and wanted him committed.

It also features Roscoe Lee Browne as Lonnie's friend.