See Also: 'Mea Culpa' Episode Guide

Gil Grissom is usually the one checking out the skeletons in other people's closets, but in the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode "Mea Culpa" the tables are turned when one of his old cases is reopened.

According to CSI Files sources, new evidence comes to light in the case of restaurant owner Jason Garbett. He was sentenced to prison in 1999 after being found guilty of murdering Max Valera, the owner of the furniture store next door, then setting the shop on fire. Grissom, who was the lead CSI on the case, testified at the trial and his evidence was instrumental in putting Mr. Garbett behind bars. His son, Andy Garbett, managed to successfully lodge an appeal which resulted in Mr. Garbett being retried.

The new evidence is a seemingly innocuous matchbook found at the crime scene. Grissom's testimony recorded that only Mr. Garbett's fingerprints were found on the matchbook, which would mean that he was the only person who could have struck the match that started the fire in the furniture store. Combined with reports that Mr. Garbett had repeatedly been seen having heated arguments with Max Valera and even threatened to kill him, the case seemed to be open and shut. But once the evidence is re-examined as part of the new trial, it appears that Grissom was wrong, and the matchbook in fact has more than one set of prints.

Conrad Ecklie, formerely day shift supervisor and now assistant director of the Las Vegas crime lab, plans to make the new trial as painful as possible for Grissom. Instead of concentrating on finding out who killed Max Valera, Ecklie asks the lab's quality control manager, Sophia, to investigate Grissom himself...

Please note that this plot information has not been confirmed by CBS or Bruckheimer TV and until such time you should treat it as you would any other rumour from an unofficial source. The details are based on an early draft of the script and aspects of the episode may change before it goes to air.

"Mea Culpa" will likely be shown in in late 2004.

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