Ep 12. Teenage Wasteland

In Law & Order season 11 episode 12, titled "Teenage Wasteland," Detectives Briscoe and Green are called to the scene of a suspicious death of a teenage boy in Central Park. The victim, Kenny Sikes, was found with a bullet wound to the head, and the detectives discover a bullet casing at the scene.

As Briscoe and Green begin their investigation, they learn that Kenny was the ringleader of a group of troubled teens who call themselves the "Wastelanders." The gang, comprised of kids from broken homes and difficult backgrounds, spends their days skateboarding and causing trouble around the city.

The detectives speak to several members of the Wastelanders, including Kenny's girlfriend, Shannon, and his best friend, Mikey. They learn that Kenny was trying to leave the gang and turn his life around, but that some members of the group were resistant to his departure.

Meanwhile, the coroner determines that Kenny's time of death doesn't match up with the timeline given by the Wastelanders. The detectives realize that someone in the group is lying, and they turn their attention to Shannon and Mikey.

As the investigation continues, Briscoe and Green discover that Kenny was involved in a high-stakes game of "car jumping," where the Wastelanders compete to see who can jump their skateboard the farthest over a row of cars. They also learn that the owner of the cars, a wealthy businessman named Mark Daniels, was threatening to call the police on the Wastelanders unless they stopped jumping his cars.

Briscoe and Green suspect that Kenny's death may have been related to the car jumping, and they question Daniels about his involvement. Daniels denies any wrongdoing and tells the detectives that he was trying to help the Wastelanders by offering them a safe and legal place to jump their skateboards.

With a motive and a suspect, Briscoe and Green present their findings to assistant district attorney Jack McCoy, who brings charges against Daniels for murder. However, Daniels hires a high-powered defense attorney, who argues that Kenny's death was an accident and that Daniels had no intention of harming the boy.

As the case goes to trial, McCoy and the defense attorney present conflicting evidence and testimony, leaving the jury to decide whether Daniels is guilty of murder or not. In the end, the verdict surprises everyone involved, and Briscoe and Green are left to reflect on the senselessness of Kenny's death and the difficulty of bringing justice to the complicated world of teenage gangs.