Alexandra Borgia is a fictional character, played by Annie Parisse, who appeared on the long-running NBCdrama seriesLaw & Order from 2005 to 2006. Appearing in a total of 33 episodes, she is the shortest serving ADA in the show's' history.
Borgia first appears in the episode "Fluency", having been appointed by DAArthur Branch as a replacement for Serena Southerlyn. She principally assists Jack McCoy, but she also conducts detailed investigations, arraignments and hearings independent of McCoy and Branch. Prior to her last appointment, Borgia was engaged in trying many drug cases, which resulted in frequent kudos from police officers and fellow attorneys. She was also respected among her colleagues for her intelligence and adroit manner in preparing a case for prosecution. When asked by Detective Joe Fontana if her name was Italian, she answered that it was from Italy, France and Spain and that she still had relatives in Venice. She is a Christian and regularly goes to church. Unlike her predecessor, Borgia often agrees with the decisions of her superiors and follows their directions regardless of her own views. She shares many parallels with Abbie Carmichael, including the latter's conservatism and cooperation with the police in developing cases. Borgia also had a penchant for investigative work, a trait shared by Paul Robinette, whom she opposes in a case in the Season 16 episode "Birthright". Borgia has a professional manner, balancingcompassion for victims with adherence to legal rules and procedure. This is evident in her dealings with the mother of a victim of faulty influenza vaccine during her first case. The prosecution decides to drop the case among the numerous charges against the defendant, as it is too weak to use. Borgia impulsively promises the mother that the defendant would be severely punished in compensation. Although McCoy fulfills that promise by arranging multiple consecutivemanslaughter sentences, he asks Borgia to never again make similar promises. This compassion also helps her to get close to victims' families, as demonstrated when she bonds with a murder victim's son over their shared love of fishing. She is also highly respectful and polite in her dealings with colleagues. Simultaneously, she is never afraid to engage in heated byplay with defendants and convicts alike to ensure a successful prosecution. Borgia indicates her devout Catholicism as a factor in her belief in the religious transformation of a defendant and in arguing with her superiors, she also highlights her belief in a Christian ideal of forgiveness. Her Catholic background also influences her opposition to torture. Borgia was the shortest appearing Assistant District Attorney in the history of the Law & Order franchise, seen only in 33 episodes. In her final episode, while investigating a family's murder, the DA's office focuses on the husband, Frank Andreas, who is supplying killers with fake DEA badges which they use to commit home invasion robberies. Borgia presses Andreas to give up his accomplices, and is later kidnapped from her own apartment. Her body is subsequently found in the trunk of an abandoned car, bound, brutally beaten and dead of asphyxiation after choking on her own vomit. Outraged, McCoy arranges a sham prosecution to make sure her murderers go toprison for life, skirting legal ethics to the point that he almost faces disbarment and was replaced by a special prosecutor. Borgia's position is filled by Connie Rubirosa beginning in season 17.
Credits
Parisse is credited in a total of 33 episodes of the Law & Order as Alexandra Borgia.
