Matlock

- Season 4

(1989)

Matlock travels to Manteo, North Carolina, to defend Spencer Hamilton, the brother of Frank, who was killed in a duck-hunting accident. After Ryan Bartell was shot, immediately after Spencer's brother, Matlock also was approached by a handsome young sheriff, Conrad McMasters, to find evidence in killing Ryan.

After Conrad calmed Matlock down, realizing he was framed for all the dope that he had in his car, he investigates the three guys who killed Ryan Bartell, each of whom were all liars. In the end, Matlock hired Conrad as a full-time partner and private investigator in Atlanta, after leaving his hometown of Manteo, North Carolina.

Bonnie Ritter's son Tony hates his stepfather Cal. Feeling that Cal needs to grow up, Cal wants to send him to a military school. When Tony refuses, Cal threatens Tony, so Tony kills Cal. Bonnie is arrested and Ben defends her.

Ben Matlock defends the husband of a very successful romance novelist who is accused of killing his wife's best friend.

Ben goes to Baltimore to help Julie defend her best friend's brother only to find that the prosecutor is Julie's ex-husband.

Ben defends a professional circus clown accused of murdering his performing partner.

A new young director is imposed upon an aging scream queen near the end of her current movie. They argue conspicuously and vehemently about artistic differences. After the filming of the climactic death scene, the actress is discovered to be actually dead, and the director is presumed to be the guilty party.

When a client of Ben's is taken by some con artists, he decides to get back at them. When one of them is killed and when another one decides to testify against him Ben defends him. Michelle tries to work on another member of the team and is taken with him.

After an attempted prison breakout, one of the prisoners is killed, presumably by one of the guards. The prisoners riot and take over the prison, insisting on an in-prison trial for the guard. Matlock is recruited to defend the guard.

While Matlock investigates from the prison, Conrad buys time by impersonating the murdered inmate at a minimum security prison. Conrad is approached by thieves who were looking for the inmate to help with a job, and he plays along.

Matlock defends Drew, a young man who Ben believes was framed for murder. Drew doesn't make it easy, as he escapes custody and becomes a fugitive. Ben must solve the case while Drew continually interferes with the investigation.

On his deathbed, an old friend of Ben's begs him to reopen a cold murder case, suspecting that another of their hunting buddies is the killer.

A crusty old toy store owner is accused of killing his partner, whom he denigrated as too generous and soft-hearted to manage their business.

Because Ben is going out of town Michelle is trying her first solo case involving an alcoholic client accused of murdering another bar patron. The chief witness is a former law school friend of Michelle's who is hiding a secret.

A coed student having an affair with a professor threatens him when he rudely dumps her. He is killed that same evening, and Matlock must investigate whether some cheating students had sufficient motive to kill the professor.

Matlock investigates the panel of guests on a popular talk show, suspecting that one of them decided to literally bury the hatchet with the show's host...squarely in his back.

Ben's client is business partners with a murdered woman's husband. Ben suspects the husband as the real murderer.

Conrad and Michelle revisit some old cases of Ben's when he is kidnapped.

After Matlock's client is convicted, Conrad and Michelle investigate the other possible suspects in the hopes of reopening the case.

Ben takes a case representing a fellow lawyer who is accused of murdering a mobster Ben considers dropping him after he starts manipulating is case.

Ben continues to investigation the murder of a mobster and finds a chain of events that leads to a murder several years earlier.

After successfully getting a man convicted of killing his wife's lover, Julie is threatened by the man's brother and becomes the target of a stalker.

Matlock defends Peter Dolan, a state senator accused of murdering Ron Winfield, a comic strip artist who was going to go public on Dolan's affair with another senator's wife.

Matlock investigates the murder of a cookie queen who was out to crumble her competitors with a hostile takeover.