Rory Cochrane To Exit 'CSI: Miami'

See Also: 'Lost Son' Episode Guide

The CSI: Miami team is set to lose one of its own in the third-season premiere.

Rory Cochrane, who plays criminalist Tim 'Speed' Speedle, will leave the top-rating forensic series after two years, according to CSI Files sources. It was rumoured last week that Cochrane was asking the show's producers to write him out of the series (story), but his exit was not expected so soon.

While some actors ask for their characters to be written out in a way that allows for a later return to the series, CSI Files can confirm Tim Speedle will leave CSI: Miami in a body bag. He will be the second regular cast member to leave the show after former NYPD Blue actress Kim Delaney (Megan Donner), who departed during the middle of the first season after only ten episodes.

In the season premiere, reportedly entitled "Lost Son", Horatio Caine and his team will investigate the kidnapping of a child from a wealthy Miami family (story). The investigation leads Horatio and Speed to a jewelers shop suspected of involvement in the kidnapping, where there is a shoot-out in which Speed is killed.

Newsmagazine Entertainment Tonight went behind the scenes on the filming of the season premiere to get the cast's reactions on the departure of one of the CSI: Miami team, although the cast and crew have reportedly been told to stay mum on which character will be killed off. "To let somebody go is not easy," star David Caruso (Horatio Caine) told ET. "It's something that we were not prepared for in a way, but here we are."

Caruso said he doesn't know whether producers will be looking for a new regular cast member to join Horatio, Calleigh, Delko and Alexx in the Miami-Dade crime lab. "I'm not involved in the casting of the show, so I'm not sure if there's going to be a replacement," he said. "But I can say I believe we've found what we're good at on the show and we will be operating on our strengths this year."

Video footage of the funeral, as well as further comments from Caruso, can be found at ET Online. The episode is scheduled to air on Monday, September 20, on CBS.

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