In this episode, A.D.A. Claire Kincaid was played by Jill Hennessy's twin sister Jacqueline Hennessy for some courtroom shots which involved her sitting at the prosecutors table. She had no lines in these scenes. This was necessary because Jill was in Baltimore filming a crossover episode of Homicide: Life on the Street (1993) and did not have time to be in New York at the time this part of the episode was being filmed.
"Corpus delicti" is Latin for "body of the crime", and refers to the legal principle that a crime must be proven to have occurred before someone can be convicted of committing the crime.
This episode appears to be inspired by the 1977 Helen Brach case. Many elements from her disappearance (and presumed murder) in February 1977 were used in the episode. The investigation into Brach's disappearance uncovered a conspiracy to murder her to prevent her from cooperating with federal officials in Chicago investigating the horse-breeding trade. Richard Bailey, with whom Brach was romantically involved and from whom the character of Lyle Christopher is based, was the only one of the alleged conspirators to face any charges- 29 counts, including fraud and murder. He was convicted on the fraud charges and has been serving a 30-year sentence since 1995. The investigation into Brach's disappearance subsequently led to the conviction of over 50 individuals involved in the fraudulent horse trade: with charges ranging from murder, fraud, arson, and obstruction of justice. However, and unlike the episode plot, Brach's body was never found and she was legally declared dead in 1984.
Frank Converse has played five different roles over the course of the series:
- Episode 2.11 His Hour Upon the Stage (1991) - Gary Wallace.
- Episode 6.11 Corpus Delicti (1996) - Lyle Christopher.
- Episode 9.22 Admissions (1999) - Mr. Kelly
- Episode 14.23 Caviar Emptor (2004) - Stable Manager.
- Episode 19.4 Falling (2008) - Wayne Hardy.
Joe Grifasi plays the part of James Linde in this, and two other, episodes, Previously, in Out of Control (1991) (episode 2.8), he played the role of Ezra Gould.