Virtual Reality Spawns Real Murder--Again

See Also: 'DOA for a Day' Episode Guide

One mystery leads to another.

According to CSI Files sources, "DOA for a Day" continues the storyline started earlier this season in "Down the Rabbit Hole". The fifth episode of the season found the CSI: New York team investigating the death of Cheryl Miller, a young woman who was dressed as her Second Life alter ego Venus. When the team spoke to Johnny O'Dell, a young man who was close to Venus in Second Life, they discovered that Cheryl's avatar was still being used even though she was dead.

Mac worked with Adam to track down Cheryl's avatar in Second Life, and they were able to discover that their victim was killed for her online identity. When Johnny O'Dell turned up dead, they matched the bullet retrieved from his fatal wound to Cheryl's murder as well as the unsolved murder of one Judge McHenry. McHenry was killed a week before while hunting in New Jersey.

It turned out that their murderer was actually a hired assassin. She used the Venus avatar to get a meeting with Congressman Devane, aka Mr TCB in Second Life. The team was unable to get to Devane in time to save him, and the mysterious assassin managed to escape.

In the first episode produced after the writers' strike ended, the New York team is back on the case. "DOA for a Day" begins with a very shocking crime scene: it seems that their assassin has been assassinated. The body of the killer that got away months before is found in a warehouse, a knife sticking out of the back of her head.

The knife tests positive for deer blood infected with Lyme disease, and the CSIs are able to link the knife to the scene of Judge McHenry's murder. Another connection leads them to a possible killer: the knife is a Navy Seal issue combat knife, and Judge McHenry's son is a Navy Seal. Mac and Flack go to speak to him.

Roland McHenry may have the skills necessary to torture and kill someone, and he certainly has the motive--but he insists that he didn't do it. He tells Mac and Flack that he gave the knife to his father before he went on his fatal hunting expedition, and that's the last time he saw it. He doesn't deny that he would have killed the woman responsible for his father's murder if he'd known who she was, but he tells them that a Navy Seal wouldn't be sloppy enough to leave the knife behind.

"DOA for a Day" also marks the arrival of Jillian Gates, the Mayor's Criminal Justice Coordinator. Mac helped her out last year when her ex-husband began stalking her, and she returned the favor after last season's finale, "Snow Day". The Mayor hadn't been pleased with Mac for blowing up the crime lab, but Jillian pulled some strings for him to get it all put back in order quickly. Mac goes to visit Jillian when their case links to a missing persons report she filed five months ago.

Please note that the above plot details have not been confirmed by CBS, Alliance Atlantis or Bruckheimer Films, and until such time you should treat this information as you would any other rumour. The above information comes from early script drafts and the details of the episodes are liable to change before the episodes are shown.

"DOA for a Day" is expected to air April 2.

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