'CSI' Gets 'Committed'

See Also: 'Hollywood Brass' Episode Guide

Grissom visits a dangerous mental institution to find out who killed one of the patients while Catherine attempts to solve the mystery behind a crop circle in "Committed".

According to CSI Files sources, the episode begins in Sparks State Hospital, a psychiatric unit for convicted criminals. Nanette Faber, one of the hospital's nurses, enters patient Robbie Gartner's room, only to find his dead body on the floor, surrounded by a puddle of blood. As if the sight wasn't disturbing enough, the nurse's eyes catch another patient, Kenny Valdez, huddled in a corner. His face and hands are soaked in blood, but Kenny doesn't seem to mind. In fact, he seems to revel in the smell of iron as he sniffs his bloody fingers. Shaken, Nanette activates the security alarm.

Phil Boyd, the hospital's head of administration, walks Grissom, Sara, and Brass through unit 2B. Boyd explains they hold two types of patients – the criminally insane and sexually violent predators. All the patients have multiple convictions. This is where criminals go when even maximum security prisons can't deal with them. The CSIs, along with Brass, meet the staff - two nurses, Joanna McNeil and Nanette Fabler; Leon Rodriguez, who supplies the medication; and Lieutenant Reed Owens, who was the first officer to respond. Boyd explains that the men are so dangerous, the hospital has its own internal police team, and every staff member carries an alarm pen with them that enables them to activate the security system when they fear a potentially dangerous situation. In Sparks State Hospital, it seems to happen often.

Nanette Fabler reveals the patients' rooms are left unlocked every night, though the rules indicate they are supposed to stay in their rooms. Grissom and Sara are surprised. Are these patients mentally capable of following loose rules? The incident of the night perhaps proves that they're not. The nurse proceeds to take them to Kenny Valdez, who has been put in restraint. His body is strapped to the bed, but it jerks around violently as Kenny tries to free himself of the straps. Sara notices old scars and fresh wounds on Kenny's arms, and Nanette explains Kenny is a self-mutilator who suffers from Renfield's Syndrome, or an inexplicable fascination with blood. Grissom takes note of Kenny's uniform. While Robbie's injuries caused blood spatters, Kenny's clothes are soaked in blood, not sprayed. Kenny may have been lured into Robbie's room by the blood, but it's very unlikely that they are looking at the real killer.

Grissom interviews the only witnesses they have – the patients themselves. Donald Salter is first. A paranoid Schizophrenic, Donald has been convicted for multiple rapes and murders. But Donald pays more attention to the voices in his head than he does to Grissom's questions, making his statements inadmissible and often unintelligible. Next, Grissom talks to James Simmonds, who suffers from Major Depressive Disorder and has been convicted for rape and multiple assaults. But James's state of mind is so altered due to lack of sleep he can barely make sense of his own words. Jake Werner is next. An anti-social with constant manic and psychotic breaks, Jake was convicted of multiple ritual murders involving satanic cults and the White Aryan Resistance. He's one of the most lucid patients there, but he prefers to rant about the staff's ethnicities than answer Grissom's questions. With each interview it's clear to Grissom and Brass that they won't get far with the patients.

Until they meet Adam Trent, who seems to be the most coherent of the patients. He has been diagnosed with Schizoeffective disorder and was convicted for three rapes. Adam wonders why the CSIs care about who killed a child molester. Society should be thankful they won't have another sexual predator to worry about. Grissom explains they're merely doing their job, but Adam doesn't get the point. Even if they do find the killer, it's not like they will be able to send them to a place worse than Sparks Hospital. Grissom sees point, and wonders if Adam killed Robbie Gartner. But Adam promptly denies it – he's a rapist, not a murderer.

In the meantime, Sara checks Robbie's room to discover some disturbing oddities, mainly magazine clippings of little boys hidden under Robbie's mattress. There is also semen on Robbie's bed. This prompts her to meet with Dr. Diane Dino, the hospital's psychiatrist, who explains the semen couldn't be Robbie's, since he was chemically castrated as a part of his conviction. The semen on the bed is most likely someone else's, and most likely the killer's. But with so many uncooperative and often volatile patients, the investigation proves to be harder, and more dangerous, than any of the CSIs had anticipated.

Meanwhile, Catherine answers to an odd call. The body of a young man was found in the middle of a crop circle, the sight has everyone theorizing about aliens. The case becomes stranger when an autopsy reveals the young man, Kevin, was in perfect health. Dr. Robbins cannot find a cause of death - seems like Kevin's heart simply stopped beating. Further investigation leads the CSIs to discover Kevin was a part of the production of a new show, Going All The Way, where young men perform crazy stunts. Or at least that's what Kevin was told, as the amateur 'producers' cared more about pulling a prank on Kevin than about the stunt itself. As a result of the prank, the CSIs come to the conclusion that Kevin was quite literally, scared to death.

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 and the airing order of the episodes are liable to change before the episodes are shown.

"Committed" will air in May, 2005.

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