Poorna Jagannathan

A hate crime against a Muslim family results in the death of their daughter. When a crucial witness in the case is deported, Barba (Raúl Esparza) is forced to drop the charges against a suspect, and tensions rise between communities on opposing sides of the case.

The unexpected release of a suspect in a hate crime case leaves Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Barba (Raúl Esparza) caught between two families seeking justice for their loved ones. As public protests escalate to violence, Benson goes to desperate lengths to make an arrest.

Brian Teague, a college student, is found strangled to death. The killer used a type of choking move that is learned in the military or in the past at the police academy. Brian was confrontational, spoke his mind, organized protests and had a rap sheet of domestic disturbances to prove it. Brian was supposed to be at a rally that day, and Briscoe and Green try and trace his last steps. First he had a beef with a mailman outside a newsstand, but the mailman, Kenny Silva, claims it was just words. Then it turns out, he was arrested that afternoon, and they think the cop who caught him might be the suspect. Even though he was brought in, he started making so much trouble and threatening to call the ACLU, the supervisor cut him loose. Dawso, the officer who arrested him, claims he gave him a "tune up" but didn't kill him. Meanwhile, they find his parents' Lexus defaced, and the repair shop owner says that Brian had called for the tow, from a bar. The bar is a watering hole for veterans, and they realize Brian was in enemy territory.

The daughter of a former ambassador is brutally murdered; Detective Goren's old mentor and the man's daughter suddenly return with a warning; a member of the Major Case Squad disappears.

When robbers hit a diamond exchange and take hostages, Don and the team find an unlikely ally in convict John Buckley, who may help the team's investigation when they believe the men are copying Buckley's criminal strategies.