Dr. David Westlake was a nasty piece of work who had a reputation for making trouble for his medical students. Any one of four men had a motive to kill Westlake, but suspicion lands on Dr. Jacobs, who was seen fleeing the scene of the crime.

When Matlock agrees to defend Cassie's friend Judy, he is shocked to learn that Judy's husband had another wife. As the case continues, Matlock learns that there was also a third Mrs. Benson, and that Kevin Benson managed to successfully maintain three separate wives in three separate households.

Matlock agrees to defend Vanessa Douglas when she's accused of murdering Stephen Cassidy, and author who destroyed a political families ambitions with a tell-all book. When Matlock realises his client is indeed guilty of the murder she is charged of committing, he sets up a plan to implicate her best friend, Sarah, with the crime, knowing that Vanessa will not let her friend take the blame for something she did.

When Brian Emerson is arrested and charged with his wife's murder, Matlock takes the case, waiving his usual fee. His efforts to get the father out on bail fail when he lands a judge who has lost his Christmas spirit, and Matlock takes the young girl in with him.

Matlock goes to Las Vegas to defend his friend, Jim Manning, after Jim is accused of murdering his girlfriend Laura, who worked for the mob laundering money.

Matlock agrees to defend dance instructor Scott Lazar after he is charged with the murder of his married lover. It would be a lot easier to prove Scott's innocence if there wasn't another woman in the wings also claiming to be his lover.

When radio disk jockey Arthur Saxon is accused of murdering rival D.J. Robby Moore, Michelle asks Ben to defend him. Ben agrees because Michelle swears he's the kindest, most gentlest man she's ever known, but Ben soon realises that Michelle's new boyfriend is anything but.

Matlock has finally had the breakthrough in the case he was struggling with, but after being hit by a car, he needs to put the case together from scratch. Unfortunately, his nurse isn't too pleased to see him trying to work, and does her best to make sure he gets the rest he needs.

Matlock takes the case of Drew Carey, a young man he has known since childhood, who is accused of murdering his uncle in a fit of drunken rage. Unfortunately, Drew has grown up into a spoiled, self-centered young man who refuses to listen to anything Matlock tells him and is determined to prove that the killer is his uncle's wife Valerie who was much younger than her husband and was having an affair with a construction worker. Despite everyone trying to tell Matlock that Drew is no good, he is convinced that somewhere inside is the sweet boy he once knew, and he truly believes that Drew is innocent.

Sandra Townsend is senior counsel with Drexel, Harris and Townsend. But when she's off work she likes to let her hair down and go to the bars. When her lover threatens to expose her nightlife to her bosses, she murders him. Michelle takes the case when Matlock's former paperboy Jimmy Newton is arrested for murder (Matlock's off to California), but soon realises that Sandra, who is supposed to be the star witness, is really the killer. The problem is that Sandra Townsend is a former classmate and good friend, and Michelle just doesn't want to believe that she's lying.