CSI: CRIME scene investigation

Season 3 - Episode 2 - The Accused is Entitled

Written by Ann Donahue& Elizabeth Devine

Tom Haviland, a movie star with Brad Pitt looks and Tom Cruise heat, is accused of murder when his one-night stand is found dead in his Las Vegas suite, but despite the blood evidence, Haviland doesn’t seem worried. His dream team attorneys know just how to get him off – they intend to prove to jurors that the CSIs collection methods were tainted. And they know just how to nail them all, including Grissom – they hire his mentor, the well-respected Phillip Gerard, to monitor the investigation for the defense.

Grissom, who excuses himself as an investigating CSI, knows exactly how this case is going to work, so he cautions his team to be particularly scrupulous in everything they do, and remain calm when they give their expert testimony. But even a case that looks slam dunk – they know that Haviland actually killed two women that night -- can be turned upside down by smart lawyering, and even the best CSI can be made to look bad.

Haviland’s attorneys start with Sara. Even though she has made careful notes that one of the paramedics called to the murder scene had to move evidence in his life-saving efforts, the one thing she can’t cover is the fact that she and the medic have a burgeoning personal relationship. Strike one.

Warrick, who collects blood evidence by the book at the scene, stops at a traffic accident on the way to give aid. Covered with the accident victim’s blood, he gets back in his car. Strike two.

Catherine is already under investigation in another case, and Nick, who is not comfortable on the stand, buckles under some skillful cross-examination. Which leaves only one member of the team to figure out how to prove that Haviland murdered two innocent fans – Gil Grissom, the CSI who learned from the best, but must now best the man who taught him everything he knows.