Nick Chinlund, who plays Matthew Brodus in this episode, was one of the finalists for the role of Detective Stabler prior to the start of the series.
It is possible that Brodus is at least partially based on the serial killer Buffalo Bill from the movie The Silence of the Lambs (1991). Like Bill, Brodus refers to his victims as objects and keeps them alive for three days before finally murdering them. Also like Bill, Brodus primarily targeted larger women.
Messinger says this is his second execution. However, the last execution in NJ was in 1963. The death penalty was abolished in NJ in 1965, reestablished in 1982, and then (after this episode aired) re-abolished in 2007, at which time the eight prisoners on death row had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment. So, at the time of this episode, capital punishment was legal in NJ for 20 years, but had never been imposed in that time.
Madison Arnold has played four different roles over the course of the series:
- Episode 12.18 Bully (2011) - Donald Fielding
- Episode 6.4 Scavenger (2004) - Morty Graf
- Episode 3.15 Execution (2002) - Plumbing Company Boss
- Episode 1.16 The Third Guy (2000) - Owner