Law and Order season 24 episode 9 ending explained - What motivated Noah Turan to kill Raymond Clark?

NBC's long-running police and legal procedural drama Law and Order season 24 premiered on October 3, 2024. After its eighth episode, the series went on a fall break, with Law and Order season 24 episode 9 airing on January 16, 2025.

Disclaimer: The article contains spoilers for Law and Order season 24 episode 9.

The latest episode revolved around a complex case involving the death of a young man named Raymond Clark on train tracks. After Riley and Shaw investigated, they discovered that the killer was Raymond's best friend, Nohan Turan, who had become an extremist.

Noah killed Raymond to prevent him from exposing his planned bombing. The episode also had a parallel subplot in which ADA Carisi dealt with trauma from a past robbery while handling a plea deal in a r*pe and robbery case. Another intersecting storyline involved Katharine Vernon, a woman who received a video of herself with another man, raising questions about consent and memory in a troubling affair.

---

Law and Order season 24 episode 9: Why did Noah push Raymond in front of the train?

DA Baxter plays an important role in the Raymond Clark murder case (Image via X/@lawandordertv)

In Law and Order season 24 episode 9, the team investigated the murder of a young man named Raymond Clark. He was a former police cadet who had washed out of the program due to a failed drug test. When Detectives Riley and Shaw began their investigation, they discovered that Raymond had reached out to his former mentor, Sergeant Freddy Chen, on the night of his death. However, Chen was asleep at the time and did not respond.

This suggested that Raymond may have known his life was in danger. Further investigation revealed that he had previously been part of a men's rights group led by Luke Bragg, who was actually using the group as a front to sell his protein powders. The team initially suspected that Bragg was behind the murder, but he had an alibi, making this lead a dead end.

Raymond's records indicated that there was another person he tried to contact before his murder, his childhood best friend, Noah Turan. When the NYPD team went to Noah's home, they found C-4, an explosive agent, prompting them to get a warrant. During their search, they found an Arabic message and a note telling him to post it in English.

The officers began their search for Noah, who they eventually found in a park with explosives on his person. After taking him down, the interrogation revealed that Noah had been radicalized and was a part of a terrorist group. Raymond knew of this and would have turned Noah in, so Noah pushed him in front of the train.

After his arrest, Noah learned that the bomb was fake and realized he had killed his best friend for nothing. In exchange for a reduced sentence, Noah provided information about the man who radicalized him towards the end of Law and Order season 24 episode 9.

Noah Turan was manipulated into becoming a terrorist by FBI Special Agent Joshua Haddad, who exploited him over several months. Haddad exposed Noah to extremist ideologies through online platforms and preyed on his background as a Muslim Chinese individual. He fed Noah conspiracy theories and ultimately convinced him that violence was necessary to prove his loyalty to a radical cause.

---

How did Baxter’s role in the lure and trap program affect Haddad’s prosecution?

Law and Order season 24 episode 9 placed District Attorney Baxter at the center of the action in the Raymond Clark murder case. In the past, Baxter designed the lure-and-trap program post-9/11 to identify and apprehend potential terrorists. The program granted federal agents authority to engage in undercover operations.

However, the program often crossed ethical lines, which influenced the prosecution of Special Agent Joshua Haddad. Haddad used this program to manipulate Noah, leading to Noah’s attempt to carry out a bombing and the murder of Raymond James Clark.

During the trial in Law and Order season 24, Baxter’s decision to testify against Haddad shifted the narrative in favor of the NYPD team. The prosecution argued that the lure-and-trap program was flawed and never intended to incite violence or murder. Baxter, Price, and Maroun successfully proved that Haddad exceeded his authority and acted irresponsibly.

Ultimately, Haddad was convicted of manslaughter, marking another victory for the Law and Order season 24 team.

---

Stay tuned for more updates on Law and Order season 24.