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| • Mea Culpa • |
Episode Number: 101#
Original Airdate: November 25, 2004
Written By: Josh Berman
Directed By: David Grossman
Synopsis: "Grissom is confronted with new evidence while on the stand of a murder trial of a restaurant owner.
Warrick investigates the death of a John Doe killed by a modified semi automatic weapon, which goes off accidentally in the lab.
The new evidence in the murder trial requires the reopening of the case and Eckley initiates an inquiry into Grissom and his team. The results of the inquiry lead to dramatic changes of the CSI team and the series."
Guest Stars:
David Berman as David Phillips
Aisha Tyler as Mia Dickerson
Louise Lombard as Sophie Curtis
Nana Visitor as Mrs. Katz
Marc Vann as Conrad Ecklie
Wallace Langham as Hodges
Jason Segel as Neil Jansen
Erik Jensen as Jeffrey Sinclair
Alex Carter as Detective Vartan
John DeMita as Jason Garbett
Jason London as Keith Garbett
Tina Lifford as Judge Witherspoon
Bobby Hosea as Rich Rebba
Stefan Marks as Max Larson
Kenny Morrison as ATF Agent
John Lacey as John Bergman/ATF Suit
Gerald McCullouch as Bobby Dawson
Terry Bozeman as Brad Lewis
Palmer Davis as Margaret Finn
Notes:
- "Mea Culpa" is a Latin derivative meaning "My Fault"
| | • Review • |
Clark County Courthouse. Grissom is on the witness stand being questioned by Jeffrey Sinclair, A.D.A. regarding a case that happened on December 20, 1999. Grissom describes the crime scene: he entered a hardware store and found the dead and bludgeoned victim, Maxwell Larson, mid-thirties, on the floor. The murder weapon was a wrench. Larson's blood was on it and it was found in Jason Garbett's restaurant next door.
Sinclair presents Grissom with the book of matches used by the killer to try to burn the place down. Grissom's initials are on the seal, but when he examines the matchbook all color drains from his face. Grissom asks for a short break.
In the Court Conference Room, Grissom tells Sinclair that there is a fingerprint on the matchbook that he doesn't recall. It wasn't in his notes. The print is not a match with the defendant's. Grissom has just incurred "reasonable doubt" on the case.
At CSI headquarters, Conrad Ecklie intercepts Grissom and grills him on how he could have missed such crucial evidence. In addition, Ecklie informs him that he has opened a supervisory inquiry.
A gunshot rings out, followed by breaking glass. Grissom and Ecklie run into the Ballistics Lab to find Bobby Dawson, who tells them that he was about to test-fire a Mac-10 when it accidentally discharged. The gun was found next to a dead body at an off-strip parking lot.
In the Layout Room, Grissom, Catherine, Warrick, and Nick review the Garbett case. Max Larson, the victim, blocked access to the restaurant's parking lot with his dumpster, claiming that the restaurant's delivery trucks clogged his alley. The Garbetts sued and lost. Their restaurant business soon dried up. Garbett threatened the victim the day before his murder.
Grissom shows the CSIs a photo of the matchbook. He didn't find a print then, but now he shows them the bagged matchbook, which shows a pink fingerprint, indicating the use of ninhydrin. Catherine tells him that a recent journal documented the delayed effect of Ninhydrin to develop a print on occasion. Grissom takes himself off the case to avoid any appearance of impropriety.
Sofia Curtis finds Grissom going over back issues of the Journal of Forensic Sciences. She is the Lab's quality control officer and has been assigned to his inquiry. She wants to give him the heads up that she will be impartial.
Catherine, Nick, and Warrick discuss the case. Catherine asks Warrick to process the hairs he found near the body since DNA never analyzed them. Nick tells them that he lifted six prints of the wrench and ran them through AFIS. Five were a match to the suspect, but the other was never identified.
In the Coroner's Office, Dr. Robbins stands over a naked male body, a tattoo of "Rita" on his right bicep. There is a bullet hole entrance in his right thigh. The cause of death was a severed femoral artery from the shot to the leg. By sticking a rod down the wound path, they are able to determine that the trajectory is up to down, consistent with a self-inflicted, accidental injury. There's no ID on the victim.
In the Print Lab, Nick and Catherine discover that the fingerprint from the matchbook and the unknown print from the wrench are a match.
Nick talks to the former Mrs. Garbett, now Mrs. Katz as she remarried. She tells him that Jason Garbett was a quiet man who bottled everything up inside. However, when he expressed himself the whole neighborhood knew it.
Keith Garbett enters and tells Nick that he believes his father to be innocent. Mr. Katz tells Nick that Keith has sacrificed everything for his father by moving back to Vegas, hiring a new attorney and pouring his own money into the appeal.
Keith claims that he was living in L.A. during the time of the murder. Mrs. Katz says she will send over an old box of records she has back at the house to Nick.
Warrick walks in on Mia Dickerson listening to Avril Lavigne and asks her if she has the DNA profile from the hair sample he submitted. She tells him that the sample isn't human and it's in Trace. As he leaves, Warrick suggests that Mia check out Nina Simone if she really wants to experience heartache.
Grissom is in the Garage stringing up a line of matchbooks in a humidifying tank. He presses his thumb against each of the matchbooks and sprays them with Ninhydrin. A pink thumbprint develops. Jeffery Sinclair and Conrad Ecklie enter. Sinclair is wanted back in the judge's chambers in the morning. He wants to know if they arrested the wrong guy. Grissom doesn't know. Ecklie says that he's making the lab look bad.
Brass intercepts Grissom as he emerges from his car. He gives Grissom some inside information, telling him that in order to appear objective, Ecklie will want to follow Sofia's recommendations. The problem is that she's Acting Supervisor of Days and needs Ecklie's sign-off to keep her job. Grissom realizes that Brass thinks that Sofia will say whatever Ecklie wants. Ecklie is looking into Grissom's ability to lead his team.
In the Trace Lab, Hodges tells Warrick that the hair found near Maxwell Larson's body is canine, perhaps a Portuguese Water Dog. Hodges says that Ecklie was pissed off when he told him about the hairs. Catherine is surprised that he told Ecklie. Hodges says that Ecklie is a friend.
In the Ballistics Lab, Bobby examines the Mac-10 and tells Sara that the reason the gun went off was because the trip had been ground down, preventing the bolt from locking back. This was an attempt to turn it into a machine gun. The serial number has also been filed down.
Nick goes door to door interviewing all the former employees of Garbett's restaurant and getting their prints.
Warrick questions Rick Reeba, a former business partner of Maxwell Larson. Reeba tells Warrick neither he nor Maxwell had a dog. Warrick tells him that the defendant, Jason Garbett, has been granted a new trial. Reeba describes the night that Garbett got into it with Max Larson. Larson told him that he was "gonna regret this." Warrick points out that after Larson died, Reeba got sole ownership of the hardware store.
Catherine is in the A/V Lab looking at the charred matchbook using video spectral analysis to bring out the image on the cover. Nick tells her that none of the former employees of the restaurant matched the mystery print.
Ecklie brings Warrick into his office and questions him, asking if Grissom instructed him to analyze the hairs found near Max Larson's body. Warrick said he took the hairs to DNA yesterday, but not five years ago. Ecklie tells Warrick that he's privy to his personnel files and sees that he's done outstanding work over the years. He also points out that Warrick has a gambling problem. Warrick corrects him: he HAD a problem. Grissom helped him out by being a friend.
Catherine walks in to the Break Room, where Sofia is working on the Larson case. Catherine tells her that she worked on the case and that the conclusions are supported. Sofia tells her that she appreciates her interest, but she will be reserving her finding for the Assistant Director, Conrad Ecklie.
Grissom engages Neil Derringer in the Print Lab, asking for his expertise. Ninhydrin works by reacting with one end of a protein chain to form Ruheman's purple, which makes fingerprints visible. Only one end of a protein chain has the H-N-H sequence, the n-terminus, which is the only spot on a protein molecule that interacts with ninhydrin. through discussion they realize that in some cases it would be possible to spray ninhydrin and not see a result for years, depending on the rate of degradation of the proteins. The plastic evidence bag the matchbook was in could have acted as a humidifying chamber, processing the print in slow motion.
In the Garage, Greg Sanders observes Sara attaching the Mac-10 to a clamp. She rubs Flitz's polishing compound onto the surface of the obliterated serial number and then uses a dremel, a small polishing wheel, to smooth the surface more. Then she dabs Fry’s Reagent onto the surface, which differentially eats away at the area to expose the denser metal of the serial number: 672442.
Ecklie enters and asks Sara if she has finished up with her PEAP counselor (a program to help officers deal with emotional problems). Sara tells him that is none of his business and that she has had a conversation with Grissom. He tells her that Grissom has failed to note any conversation with her in her file.
Nick and Catherine find a clear image of the matchbook artwork: CLUB PCH -- LOS ANGELES. The defendant's son, Keith, lived in L.A.
Nick and Brass discuss the fact that Keith Garbett is a veterinarian as they walk up to his house. Keith answers the door and when asked about Club PCH he answers that he did a lot of clubbing in his twenties. They ask for his fingerprints, but he won't give them.
Nick takes a green garbage bag out of Keith's can on the curb since it is public property.
Ecklie questions Catherine in his office about Grissom, regarding an old homicide. Catherine tells him that Grissom doesn't micromanage and that he did a supervisory review. She asks Ecklie about her request to supervise days. He responds that she could probably use the extra cash, adding that it must be nice to be independently wealthy.
Nick processes the trash bag using a vacuum metal deposition chamber. Gold and zinc vapors fill the chamber and adhere to the surface of the plastic, revealing several perfect fingerprints.
Nick finds a perfect match between the matchbook print and Keith Garbett's print from the trash bag.
In the Interrogation Room, Keith Garbett maintains his innocence. Catherine points out that Keith was in fact running the restaurant while his parents were in court suing to have the dumpster removed. They found this out from the box of records his mother supplied.
Nick points out to Keith that he must have had a guilty conscience about killing Max Larson and his father being convicted because he gave up his veterinary practice, moved to Vegas, and spent all his money on his father's defense. Keith breaks down and says that his father had nothing to do with the killing. He thought that they would never convict an innocent man, so he kept quiet.
Detective Vartann meets Sara and Greg in front of a house owned by a Paul Turlock. Sara explains that the Mac-10 that killed their John Doe is registered to Turlock.
The front door is open so the CSIs enter the house, maglites piercing the darkness. They find a photo of Turlock with a tattoo "Rita" on his arm. Greg finds a box of five Mac-10s, all the serials obliterated.
Vartann plays the answering machine and they hear a gruff voice say that the "deal's a go." Another message gives the time to meet as 9pm on Monday. The CSIs realize that the deal will probably happen at the same location where they found Paul's body.
Ecklie sticks his head into the Evidence Vault and congratulates Nick on the Larson case. Nick replies that it was a team effort. Ecklie mentions a case that happened last year and that it appeared that Nick was a one-man CSI machine, implying that Grissom didn't do much to help out.
An old sedan slowly pulls into an abandoned parking lot. The driver cautiously emerges and looks around. Suddenly police cars converge on him from all directions. The driver tells them that he is an agent.
Three ATF detective unit autos peel into the lot and a man in a suit steps out and tells the CSIs that the driver is Special Agent John Bergman, ATF. This was a gun buy bust. Sara tells the detectives that Paul Turlock is already dead.
Grissom is grilled by Ecklie in his office. Sofia tells Ecklie that Grissom did not mishandle anything regarding the Larson case. This is not what Ecklie wants to hear, so he launches into a new attack, telling Grissom that his ability to supervise has come into question. Ecklie has decided to break up Grissom's team.
Catherine Willows is promoted to Swing Shift Supervisor, even though she put in for Days. The current Swing Shift Supervisor will be moved to Days. Sofia jumps in and mentions that she's been Acting Supervisor of Days for the past month. Ecklie announces that Warrick Brown and Nick Stokes will now report to Catherine. Greg Sanders, Sara Sidle, and Sofia will report to Grissom.
Nick and Warrick sit in a restaurant with Grissom. They tell him that they were ambushed by Ecklie. Grissom is Zen-calm in his demeanor and tells them that if a team gets used to a certain way of doing things then their effectiveness can be questionable.
Grissom quips, "As Heraclitus said, 'It is in changing that things find purpose.'"
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