CSI: Crime Scene Investigation--'If I Had A Hammer'

Discussion in 'CSI Files News Items' started by CSI Files, Apr 29, 2009.

  1. CSI Files

    CSI Files Captain

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    <p><b>Synopsis:</b><p>Eighteen years ago, Catherine's first solo case as a CSI was the murder of Thomas Harrott, a ninety-one-year old man who was beaten to death during a robbery. Catherine recovered a print on a rock used to break Harrott's window and matched it to Jeremy Kent, a teenager in the neighborhood. Her evidence combined with an eyewitness testimony from a neighbor and testimony from Kent's cellmate claiming Kent had confessed was enough to put Kent away in 1991, but when Kent discovers his cellmate was talked into testifying by the lawyer they shared, Kent realizes he has cause to get the case reopened. With the team's help, Catherine pulls out the old evidence and starts going over it, armed with new technologies that didn't exist in 1991. Archie and Greg listen to Harrott's 911 call and work on matching the vehicle they hear in the background to the Pontiac Kent was driving at the time. Doc Robbins and Langston go over the autopsy report, which they find was shoddily done. Both conclude that Harrott was beaten to death brutally. Catherine responds to a subpoena from Kent for a pre-trial meeting, during which he tries to ruffle her feathers by challenging both her professional inexperience at the time and her personal life with her ex, Eddie. He also tells her he's challenging the print on the rock. While Riley works on the rug Harrott's body was found on and discovers the outline of a hammer in blood, Catherine examines the print on the rock with 21st century technology--and confirms the match to Kent.<p>Langston examines a boot print found at the scene and finds it's deeper in the toe than the heel, indicating the person who left it might have leapt up. He and Catherine return to the scene to examine the exact place the print was found--just by the fence separating Harrott's house from his neighbor's yard. Recalling that the neighbors' motion detector lights came on, Catherine tells Langston that she searched the neighbors' yard twice and found nothing. Looking at the roof, the two CSIs decide to search it. While they scour it, Catherine is surprised to catch sight of a hammer in the tree--literally sealed in by the bark, which appears to have grown around it. The team recovers the hammer and finds two bloody prints on it. While Hodges is able to confirm that, based on the rate of the tree's growth, the hammer is in all likelihood the murder weapon, Nick and Mandy analyze the prints and aren't able to match either to Kent. Catherine suspects the man had an accomplice, so she visits Kent to try to lean on him to give up the name of the person with him. She tells him she's reconfirmed that his prints are the ones on the rock, but all Kent will admit to is robbing the house--and finding the old man already dead when he got there. Her assurance of Kent's guilt shaken, Catherine turns to Brass, who reminds her they had no doubts about Kent's guilt eighteen years ago--and shouldn't now. Catherine calls on the team to help theorize why Kent might be protecting his accomplice, and they come up with several possibilities: the person is likely a family member, someone he loves or someone he fears.<p>Archie matches the car engine from the 911 call not to a Pontiac, but to a Dodge. Greg finds the connection in Kent's high school yearbook: a picture of Kent and a young woman named Sabrina Littee standing in front of a Dodge registered at the time to the girl's father, Arthur. Brass visits Sabrina Littee, now Owen, a married mother of two. After Brass asks her about the car, she admits she dated Kent secretly in high school and sometimes loaned him her father's car. Brass hands her a warrant for the Dodge, which is now in her possession. The team goes over it and Catherine finds a bloody shard of glass behind one of the seats, which Hodges is able to confirm is the same glass from Harrott's shattered window--and the blood on it is Sabrina's. Brass questions Sabrina with her husband, a lawyer, present. She admits that Jeremy got her pregnant in high school and he had promised her they would go to Los Angeles together--but first they needed money. He committed several robberies that night while she waited in the car--until she heard a commotion in the Harrott house after Kent went in. She went inside and found Kent standing over Harrott's body--and then he gave her the hammer to throw away. Her husband storms out in disgust while Brass tells her that the felony murder rule allows him to arrest her for a murder committed during a felony regardless of whether or not she struck the fatal blow. Catherine tells Kent that one of the prints on the hammer is a match for his upper finger--while the other matches Sabrina. Kent is shocked to learn Sabrina made a statement confirming Kent killed Harrott. Kent tells Catherine he's never met his child--and hopes that if Sabrina testifies against him, the boy will be there. Catherine reminds him that he had a choice years ago--and that Thomas Harrott didn't.<p><b>Analysis:</b><p>Catherine takes center stage in this engrossing episode that takes her back to her first solo case. Episodes that go back to older cases are always fun, if for no other reason than to see just how much technology and methods have changed since the older case was first investigated. Doc Robbins disdains his predecessor's careless work on the autopsy, noting that "you couldn't get away with shoddy work like this now." Catherine is able to enhance the print with photoshop and confirm that it without a doubt belonged to Kent. Archie uses audio technology that didn't exist in '91 to isolate the sound of a car engine on the recording of the 911 call and is able to match it to a specific car engine. 1991 doesn't seem all that long ago--until we remember that the internet wasn't in common use back then. Forensics no doubt has similarly made incredible advances. Indeed, in that regard, <i>CSI</i> is very much a show of its decade.<p><HR ALIGN="CENTER" SIZE="1" WIDTH="45%" COLOR="#007BB5"><p>To read the full reviews, please click <A HREF="http://www.csifiles.com/reviews/csi/if_i_had_a_hammer.shtml">here</A>.<center></center>
     
  2. Faylinn

    Faylinn Adam Fangirl Super Moderator

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    Excellent review, as usual. :)

    I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this episode based on the promos - it seemed like the others were doubting Catherine and she was having to defend herself as they proved what happened. Luckily, the episode was not quite this way. There were moments where the others expressed their (not exactly positive) opinion of the methods used back when Catherine worked the case originally - but that speaks to the difference 18 years can bring more than anything about Catherine herself.

    It was nice to see some focus on Catherine for a change, which is something we haven't seen lately. Marg did a great job with the material.

    I also loved that the case wasn't quite open and shut - they did reveal things that were missed during the initial investigation, but it wasn't a case of Catherine being 'wrong' or 'right'. Very interesting.

    And yes, Brass was very good in this one. He always is, but it's nice to see a bit of a personal moment this time around.
     
  3. Winnipeg

    Winnipeg Victim

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    When Catherine and Doc Ray went to the Neighbor's fence to see where the footprints were and to look into the back yard; Catherine said something that the review forgot to mention. She said "the first thing Grissom ever taught me was that people (CSI) never look up" She was staring at the roof of the house which had the tree shading it. It was a nice way to keep Grissom in everyone's mind.
     

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