Law and Order
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Dr. Brett Morton is a psychiatrist whose son was kidnapped and murdered by his thirteen-year-old neighbor, Jake O'Hara.

Background[]

Brett wrote papers on the subject of child sociopathy. In these papers, he cited that their condition could never be cured and measures should be taken to prevent these children from committing inevitable acts of violence.

Conscience[]

During Jake's trial, Brett initially requests leniency for Jake, but after information comes to light that Jake has sociopathic tendencies and that he will be released from prison by the time he is eighteen, Brett regrets his decision and shoots Jake in the courthouse. He then uses his expertise as a psychiatrist to try and convince the court he had post-traumatic stress disorder at the time. When Brett takes the stand, he tells the jury that he has no memory of killing Jake but later admits he did kill him post-trial. He was subsequently acquitted of the murder.

After leaving the courthouse, Brett confesses to Stabler and Novak that he felt guilty over his request for leniency for Jake, that he knew that Jake would kill again after the boy's release and that Brett planned to shoot Jake in the courthouse after finding out the boy was a sociopath. Brett looked around, saw the court officer's gun and waited for the right moment to take it and kill Jake. Stabler and Novak confront him for his "manipulation" towards the court, like Jake had done. Brett agrees, but points out that unlike Jake, who certainly would have continued murdering people had he survived, Brett himself would never kill again.

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