Fallen Heroes: Part 1

Meldrick Lewis once again delivers his "the bear says: 'you didn't come here to hunt, did you'?" punchline. This isn't the first episode where he's told this lewd joke, although for censorship reasons the joke itself is too lewd and graphic to be told on television, especially in the early to mid 1990's. For those curious the entirety of the joke is (WARNING: SEXUALLY GRAPHIC JOKE): Once upon a time a redneck goes hunting, after killing nothing all day he sees a bear and takes a shot at it but misses, furious the bear comes over to him and says "you just tried to kill me!" and the redneck says "no I didn't, my gun went off on its own, I swear!". Not believing the redneck the bear says "I'm going to f*** you in the a**, maybe that will teach you not to mess with bears". After the bear finishes with the redneck he starts walking away and the redneck says "f***ing bear, I'm gonna kill you!" and fires a second time...but once again misses despite the bear being only a few feet away". The bear runs back to the redneck and says "you just tried to kill me again!" but the redneck protests saying "no, I accidentally dropped my gun and it went off on its own again!". Once again not believing the redneck the bear says "now I'm really gonna teach you a lesson, you're going to suck my d***!". After the bear finishes in the redneck's mouth he starts walking off again, but the redneck shoots at the bear a third time and for the third time misses. The bear turns to the redneck and says "you didn't come here to hunt, did you?".

During their investigation Falsone and Stivers come across a drug dealer named Pony "Boy" Johnson who Munch put away five years earlier for a double murder, but was out on parole. Munch said Pony Boy killed his girlfriend and the girlfriend of one of his associate's, but not before torturing them; both of which constitute first degree murder. Meaning he was convicted of two counts of murder in the first degree, with his previous felony convictions Pony Boy would have very likely been sentenced to the death penalty. But even if he didn't, Maryland state law requires a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole for more than one first degree murder conviction, that is if the jury doesn't vote in favor of the death penalty. Additionally if the jury does not vote in favor of a sentence of either death or life without parole, the law requires even someone with no prior criminal record convicted of a single count of murder one to be automatically sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years. The law is very clear about the sentencing for this crime, a judge would not have the authority to override it and grant early parole.