Janice Licalsi (formerly Gennaro) is a fictional character portrayed by

Amy Brenneman Amy Frederica Brenneman (born June 22, 1964) is an American actress and producer. She worked extensively in television, coming to prominence as Detective Janice Licalsi in the ABC police drama series ''NYPD Blue'' (1993–1994). Brenneman nex ...

on the television series ''

NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensemble c ...

''. She appeared in 18 episodes during the first two seasons of the show. The character was written out after technical advisor and producer

Bill Clark William Clark (1770–1838) was an American soldier and explorer; governor of Missouri Territory. William Clark may also refer to: Business * W. H. Clark (brewer) (William Henry Clark, c. 1815–c. 1870), brewer in South Australia * William Bell ...

became uneasy with the thought of having a murderous police officer as a main character.

Character history

A uniformed police officer, Licalsi was assigned to the fictional 15th precinct. She took her mother's maiden name when she joined the force. Her father Dominic Gennaro, also a police officer, was on the payroll of mob boss Angelo Marino, who subsequently used this information to

blackmail Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to fa ...

her into working for him. Marino orders Licalsi to kill Detective

John Kelly John or Jack Kelly may refer to: People Academics and scientists * John Kelly (engineer), Irish professor, former Registrar of University College Dublin *John Kelly (scholar) (1750–1809), at Douglas, Isle of Man *John Forrest Kelly (1859–1922) ...

. In order to accomplish this, she entered into a relationship with Kelly, but ended up falling in love with him. Licalsi was unable to kill Kelly and instead killed both Marino and his driver. Some time after Marino's death, Licalsi was contacted by mob boss Tommy Linardi, who has proof that she was working for Marino. She informs OCCB Inspector Lastarza, who unofficially assigns her to work undercover as an informant, a situation which strains her relationship with Kelly. After Linardi and his associates are murdered, a notebook belonging to Marino is entered into evidence. The notebook contains Licalsi's name, and Kelly gives Licalsi the opportunity to destroy the pages incriminating her. At the end of the first season, Licalsi is promoted to

detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads th ...

on the recommendation of Inspector Lastarza. She is temporarily assigned to the 15th squad pending a transfer to the intelligence division. She feels guilty over her actions involving the mob and, on Kelly's recommendation, speaks to a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

. Following this conversation, she surrenders herself to Lt.

Arthur Fancy Capt. Arthur Fancy is a fictional character in the television series ''NYPD Blue''. He was played by James McDaniel from season one through eight. The fictional character appears in all 167 episodes from the show's 1993 pilot to the 2001 episode ...

and confesses to murder. Upon her arrest, Kelly contracts for her a high-priced lawyer and pays her bail. Kelly testifies at Licalsi's trial on her behalf, instigating an internal affairs investigation. The two resume their relationship during the course of the trial. Licalsi is convicted of

manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th cen ...

, and sentenced to two years in prison, though her lawyer says that she'll get

work release In prison systems, work release programs allow a prisoner who is sufficiently trusted or can be sufficiently monitored to go outside the prison and work at a place of employment, returning to prison when their shift is complete. Some work release ...

after six months, and Kelly says he'll be visiting her upstate. This is the last time the character appears or is mentioned on ''

''.

References

Episode references

Secondary sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Licalsi, Janice Licalsi, Janice Licalsi, Janice Fictional murderers Television characters introduced in 1993