CSI: Crime Scene Investigation s01e09 Episode Script
Unfriendly Skies
Pilot: McCarren approach Las Vegas Nine-Zero-Nine, 30,000.
Request emergency personnel.
Over.
Las Vegas Nine-Zero-Nine, McCarren Tower.
Specify request.
Over.
Negative, McCarren.
Advise on runway.
Las Vegas Nine-Zero-Nine cleared for V-O-R Runway One-Five approach.
Over.
V-O-R Runway One-Five approach.
Roger.
Request Las Vegas Police.
Understand-- "police"? Roger.
Mommy! ( groaning ) Brass: Luggage stays in the plane.
We're going to treat this liKe a crime scene until we're told otherwise.
Tim, Sam, talK to the coach passengers.
See what you can't learn.
All right, looK I'm going to talK to the first class passengers that are in the lounge.
Let's meet bacK there in a half an hour, all right? Imagine that all the way from Atlanta to Las Vegas.
So dead guy in first class? Las Vegas Air.
Always heard it was a good time.
( clears throat ) Coroner pronounce? About 30 minutes ago.
Eyewitnesses? Everyone in the first class-- Nine passengers, one flight attendant.
Where are they now? -Sequestered in the lounge.
According to the flight crew, the deceased had some sort of panic attacK and died before they landed.
Point of disturbance: cocKpit door.
Bloody handprint.
LooKs liKe foot impression.
BallparK shoe size ten to 1 1.
Deceased found lying between rows one and two.
What is that, blood? I want this whole plane taped off nose to tail and wing to wing.
Oh, it's going to taKe a lot of tape.
I've got a dead body, a crime scene with wings.
Something very wrong happened in this plane.
Sheriff? We've got a whale of an opportunity here, Gil.
Dead body on an airplane-- F.
A.
A.
has jurisdiction.
But the feds won't be here till sunrise.
That gives us about 1 2 hours to be heroes.
I don't follow you.
Well, we either hand over the guy who did it when the feds get here or we give them all the glory while we watch from the sidelines.
I don't even Know if we have a homicide yet.
First reports indicate he had some Kind of an episode.
Give me a little credit.
Even you wouldn't tape off one of these wide-bodies unless you Knew you had something.
Arrest would be good for you.
It would be good for me too, good for Las Vegas.
You running for mayor? What about the passengers in coach? Did they see anything? Brass said the curtain was shut.
Flight attendant Kept them separated.
They disembarKed through the rear.
What do we Know about the dead guy? Tony Candlewell, age 30.
Communications company manager from Atlanta, married no record.
So? What do you thinK? Catherine: I don't Know but this sure must have looKed scary at 30,000 feet.
WarricK: All this done by one guy? Had to be on drugs.
Too much damage for one guy.
So, more than one guy? What do you thinK, Gris? I thinK we've got ten witnesses all singing the same song.
The deceased went berserK.
Unless we find something else in the evidence, that's what happened.
Catherine.
I'll start the interviews.
-ThanK you.
WarricK, go with.
Brass has them all assembled in the lounge.
Assume evidence on everyone.
NicK, go with the coroner.
Sara and I will worK the plane.
This is a mobile crime scene.
It might not be here tomorrow.
Miss, my daughter has to go to the bathroom.
OKay.
I'll see what I can do.
ThanK you.
How are you holding up? I'm still shaKing.
Could I have your attention? I'm Jim Brass from Homicide.
This is Catherine Willows and WarricK Brown from Las Vegas Criminalistics.
They're here to gather evidence.
You Know you can't Keep us here.
Sir, we realize this is an imposition, and we apologize for it.
Nobody wants to see you on your way more than we do.
We'll maKe this as quicK and painless as we possibly can.
Man: OKay.
Nice snow job.
More flies with honey.
Driver's license Iibrary card organ donor card.
Stand-up guy.
He had a family.
Can you imagine getting that phone call? What a shame.
David It's always a shame.
Man: I saw him board.
He seemed liKe an oKay guy.
Here, let me help you with that.
Oh, thanK you.
ThanK you very much.
Sure, no problem.
When did you become aware that there was a problem in the cabin? Shannon asKed one of us to come out and address an issue with a passenger.
What's the problem, Shannon? Hello.
Do me a favor: Go bacK to coach.
MaKe sure no one comes forward.
ThanKs.
Come on, it's been ten minutes! -Sir is there some way we can assist you? You can help me open this door.
There are two other restrooms towards the rear of the plane.
I paid $1,200 to pee here, not in coach.
Sir? You need to taKe your seat.
How much time did you spend with him? Two minutes.
In that time did you notice anything that would explain his behavior? Was he drunK maybe, or on drugs? Not as far as I could tell.
A little agitated.
It's not liKe I haven't seen this Kind of behavior before.
Flying just maKes people react in funny ways.
Is that a meat thermometer? Digital readout.
Bigger numbers.
Guy should be colder than that.
Body temperature drops two degrees in the first hour after death then one and a half degrees for each successive hour.
Well, he's been dead for two hours.
That would maKe his temperature at the time of death This guy had a fever.
Let's see what else we've got.
Petecchial hemorrhaging behind the eyes suggesting suffocation of some sort.
Horseshoe-shaped contusion on the left side of the necK.
LooKs liKe the heel of a boot.
Oh, I'll buy that-- for now.
Multiple contusions front and bacK.
BroKen hand.
Well, this guy's a study in contradictions.
He's got defensive wounds on his palms but the scrapes on his KnucKles and the broKen hand indicate aggression.
Grissom: Dr.
Kiera Behrle, 3E.
Emily Behrle, 3F.
Nate Metz, 2C.
Nate Metz.
Put your seat bacK and tray table in their upright position.
I don't thinK so.
Let me guess who was sitting in 3C.
Tony Candlewell.
The dead guy.
LooK, the guy was a real ass.
In what way? LooK, you Know why I fly first class? Other than the fact that my company pays for it? Because I can worK.
I have to worK.
And he wouldn't let you? No, he, he, he Kept KicKing the bacK of my seat with his foot.
You Know, liKe in a movie theater when somebody's KicKing your seat? Catherine: Are you telling me this guy was KicKing the bacK of your seat the entire flight? Maybe not the entire flight.
You Know, liKe, liKe Dallas to, to Las Vegas.
Hey, Pele, could you please stop KicKing the bacK of my seat? I wasn't doing anything.
You Know exactly what you're doing.
Stop it.
What did you do? I ju I ignored him.
You Know, I punched the seat a couple times in anger and that's it.
LooK, the guy set me off.
It was either the seat or him.
May I see your hands? Your KnucKles are pretty banged up.
Blood drops away from the main event.
Maybe that's where the action started.
Could just be a bloody nose.
Who was sitting in 4B? Lou Everett.
Lou Everett? Yeah.
-How'd you get that slice around the chops? The guy swung at me with a C.
D.
Put his finger in the hole and slashed me.
What guy? That crazy guy, the psycho.
He was out of his mind.
What the hell is wrong with you? You Know, you owe me another laptop, pal.
( mumbles ) Hey! -Everett: Hey, hey.
We're in mid-flight now, guys.
That's enough.
So what do you thinK? Bodily injury can I sue a dead man? I thinK you need some coffee.
What do you mean? A few cocktails on the plane, Lou? LooK, I get nervous when I fly, so what? Well, alcohol does different things to different people at different altitudes.
Hey, I was fine.
He went bananas.
Why don't you just asK asK the flight attendant? So, we were about when he started pressing his call button over and over.
He was complaining of a headache.
And did you give him anything? Yeah, I gave him a pacKet of aspirin and he popped it dry, no water.
Catherine: And, as far as you Know did he complain of a headache when he boarded? No.
So what made the worm turn? LooK, I've been flying for ten years.
You Know, I have seen it all.
I've seen ferrets in suitcases, uh, fellatio in first class passengers stir-frying on their tray tables.
I mean Who Knows why anyone does anything? Right.
Well, thanKs for your time.
ThanK you.
ThanKs.
So, any bites? Nada.
You? If nothing criminal happened on that flight why isn't anybody talKing to us? I'm going to go out on a limb here and say they're hiding something? Then we get to play hide-and-seeK.
I just got off the phone with NicK.
The coroner did some carving on our dead guy.
He found intercranial bleeding, thoracic hemorrhaging a ruptured spleen.
And for what it's worth the guy also had a fever.
Did you find anything interesting? Well, the guy in 4B was KnocKing them bacK pretty good.
Could be dried blood.
Victim had defensive wounds on his hand.
Marlene Valdez was sitting in 2E.
LooK at me.
my blouse is ruined.
Just hope it washes out.
We'll get you a new one.
Marlene: After I saved your life, you better.
Brass: Mr.
Valdez was your life in danger? Well, you Know Of course his life was in danger.
That maniac was pacing up and down the aisles.
All sweating.
His eyes were glazed.
I was sure he was going to hijacK that plane.
Everyone needs to return to their seats.
( cups rattling ) Do something.
No, we should just mind our own business.
Well, if you don't do something, I will.
Uh Ex-excuse me, sir.
Uh why don't you just taKe a seat? ( crashing ) Grissom: The other half of the wine bottle from 2E.
So Marlene in 2E slashes the victim.
He's bleeding where does he go? The lavatory.
No evidence.
No.
No "patent" evidence.
But if there's blood present there maybe latent evidence.
One step ahead of you, every so often.
ThanK you.
Well.
Would you hand me the Christopher Columbus from my field Kit? ThanK you.
( clicKs ) I taKe it that's not blood.
No but there's protein in it.
Oh, the mile-high club.
That means the two passengers may have had no idea what was going on inside that cabin.
You Know, high altitude enhances the entire sexual experience.
It increases the euphoria.
Well it's good.
I don't Know if it's that good.
Cite your source.
Hand me a swab, please.
You're avoiding the question.
"Enhances sexual experience.
Increases euphoria.
" Cite your source.
A magazine.
What magazine? Applied Psychodynamics in Forensic Science.
Never heard of it.
I'll get you a subscription.
Now, cite your source.
Oh now you want to go down that route? Yeah.
Nah.
Never mind.
You started it.
Delta Airlines, Flight 1 1 09, Boston to Miami March '93, Ken Fuller.
Hazel eyes organic chem lab TABMOC overrated in every aspect.
Could we get bacK to worK, please? Yeah.
I thinK your, uh firsthand Knowledge and experience in airplane bathrooms you should do the swab.
Fine.
Catherine: And where were you when this was all going on, Mrs.
Finn? Uh, Mercer, Vicky Mercer.
Um, I was in the bathroom.
In the bathroom? For how long? For a while.
I I really don't fly very well.
And where was your husband? Carl: We're not married.
We just worK together.
Right.
Where were you? I was in my seat.
-So, then you saw what happened? I had my headphones on.
I was listening to the air traffic control channel.
Puts me right out.
Catherine: So, you slept through everything and you woKe up next to a dead body.
Basically, yeah.
Handprints.
A stallion.
All right, we're going to have to change tact here because what I said about getting more flies with honey-- I was wrong.
This is incredible.
Ten people and no one's talKing.
My theory: the Killer is in the group and the rest of them are afraid.
That guy was wearing KhaKis, right? Yeah.
Fibers drawn from his pants maybe? We get anything else off the clothes? NicK's worKing on it.
What have you got? Well what you've got here is a nice Bordeaux and a StarbucK's blend.
No blood.
No saliva.
What about prints? Uh, well, suede leather's a tough gig.
It's too porous.
Hey.
Are you losing your touch there, Einstein? Coroner's photos of the dead guy's bacK.
Multiple horseshoe-shaped bruises.
Those are definitely shoeprints.
Yeah, looKs liKe somebody stomped on your dead guy.
Hmm.
Bring me the jacKet.
If I do heel impressions I'll need something to compare it to.
See you in 20.
I need their shoes.
Why you telling me? Because you're the people person, right? Well, why don't you tell them that? They're not giving mebupKes.
( crunching ) Please? OKay, people.
Listen up.
Shoes.
Off.
Now.
( cracKling ) It all comes down to shoeprints.
Hey.
Catherine: Hi.
LooKs liKe a shoe sale.
Uh, NicK sent these photo comparisons over from the lab.
-Oh.
Excellent.
Max.
That a fit? Yeah ( sighs ): Well, that's it then.
( drops magnifying glass ) OKay, folKs.
I've got some good news and I've got some bad news.
The good news? Well, the good news would be that seven of you may be getting out of here very soon.
What's the bad news? The bad news is that three of you may be staying in Vegas a lot longer than you planned.
And that would be Mr.
Lou Everett,,, Mr.
Max Valdez, and Dr.
Kiera Behrle.
Would you please come with me.
Stevie, Keep these guys on ice.
I'm sorry, ma'am.
This is as far as your daughter can go but we'll have an officer stay with her.
Come on.
It's been a rough night.
Dr.
Behrle, we're going to be asKing you some very sensitive questions-- questions that I Know that I wouldn't want my daughter to hear.
Hi.
My name is Jim.
What's your name? Emily.
Emily.
Oh, that's a great name.
Emily, I'm going to maKe you a deal, oKay? We're going to borrow your mom for a little while.
I'll be right bacK, sweetie, oKay? OKay.
OKay? And here's the good part.
You get to borrow anything you see on me.
Can I borrow your gun? Well, you Know, my gun it's Kind of it's old, and it's heavy and and it's stucK there.
Anything else? How about your badge? You got a deal, and you Know what? This is the best thing.
You Know why? Because anyone gives you any trouble all you got to do is flash this.
There you go.
So, were you scared? Did you see what happened? OKay.
OKay.
It's oKay.
Sweet Kid-- Emily.
Uh, so, Dr.
Behrle how long have you been a physician? I prefer surgeon.
Mm, oKay.
I've been practicing for 1 1 years.
And what was the nature of your visit to, uh to Las Vegas? Emily.
She wanted to see the white tigers.
How did you get that blacK eye? I caught it during the rucKus.
The price you pay for being a Good Samaritan.
OKay.
I'm, uh just a little confused.
Your heel impressions were found on the bacK of the victim's suede jacKet.
That's a little aggressive for a Good Samaritan.
Man: No! No! Hey, stop it! Oh Get out of the way.
Get out of the way! Give him some air.
Sir? One, two three One, two If he had been in my ER I might have been able to save him but at 30,000 feet, there's only so much you can do.
LooK I did what I could.
And you're satisfied with that? Why? Because I'm a doctor I'm responsible for what happened on that plane? What did happen? I protected my daughter and I tried to save a guy's life.
And yes, I'm satisfied with that.
Well, you've seen Cops the TV show, so you Know our game.
The first one to talK gets to maKe a deal.
I don't need a deal.
No? Well, maybe your daughter Emily needs you to taKe one.
Grissom: Mm-hmm.
Right.
MaKes sense.
OKay.
ThanKs, Catherine.
We have a ping-pong ball.
We just need to find the paddles.
Where are they? Probably in the first compartment.
The doctor in 3E told Catherine that she performed CPR on the victim.
ChecK the inside of the paddles.
See if there's any bio gel on them.
These looK liKe they weren't even used.
There was more lubricant in the bathroom.
It's pretty negligent for a doctor.
She's got to Know every commercial airline carries defib paddles.
Yeah, and if she didn't Know, the flight attendant sure did.
By the time I thought to grab the defibrillator he was already dead.
But you are trained to use the paddles in the event of an emergency and this was an emergency situation.
Yes, but I'm trained to use them when a man is having cardiac arrest in his seat not flopping around in the aisle.
So, whatever it was he was going through it didn't looK a heart attacK.
LooK, I'm going to be honest with you.
I was scared.
I mean I thought this guy was going to taKe us all down.
All right, everyone needs to return to their seats.
I've got to get off! ( yelling ) I have to land this plane! All right, so let me get this straight.
His wife is in the aisle brandishing a broKen wine bottle.
What about 1A? He was closest to the action.
That would be Mr.
Cash.
Um, he was in his seat.
Mr.
Cash.
I was wondering when you guys were going to get around to asKing me some questions.
So, what did you see? Not much.
Sir, it's been a long night, and we don't have much time before our crime scene flies away.
I was in my seat.
You were sitting in 1A.
You were sitting ringside.
How do you not see what happened? The blind leading the blind.
I'm not totally blind.
I'm legally blind.
My central visual acuity is 20/200.
( grunting ) The plane has to land! We've got to get off this plane! Woman: Get him off the door! No, no, no! Brown: Can you identify the voices? ( sighs ) First voice.
Businessman.
I could tell by the way he ordered drinKs.
How do you mean? JW BlacK, triple not double.
Second voice, guy in 2F, Kind of far away.
Max.
Third voice? Third voice, row behind me, two seats over.
Mr.
Dot-com.
Guy must've typed Mr.
Cash, you've got to help me.
I've got eight eyewitnesses with various stories.
I put them all in a mixing bowl, add eggs, milK sticK it in the oven, and all I got is a limp souffle.
We need you to tell us everything you heard.
From the time the deceased banged on the cocKpit door to the time he died.
Then listen up.
We need to get off this plane! I have to get off this plane! Get him off the door.
Get out of the way.
Get out of the way.
No! ( grunting, blows landing ) I never heard such silence.
( beeping ) I got two hours till I lose my crime scene to the feds.
Tell me you have something.
I Know what set this guy off.
That's more than I got.
We Know our victim suffered from intercranial bleeding.
I had that pegged as possible cause of death so I cracK his sKull open, and what do I find? A cantaloupe in a soup can.
Tight fit.
And not from one or two blows to the head.
He was also running a high fever so I tested his spinal fluid.
A normal protein level is between 1 5 and 45 milligrams.
Candlewell's was 60.
Did anybody mention this guy had a headache? Flight attendant gave him two aspirin.
Why? He was suffering from undiagnosed encephalitis.
Swelling of the brain.
It can manifest liKe a heart attacK: slurred speech delirium, loss of consciousness.
You throw in the altitude and the air pressure changes in the cabin and our guy was probably out of his mind.
Is that what Killed him-- encephalitis? It wasn't the one thing that Killed him.
Ruptured spleen, intercranial bleeding petecchial hemorrhaging.
And the guy's heart just stopped beating.
A, B, C, D or all of the above.
Standoff with the police-- guy gets shot in the chest runs bacK into his burning house inhaling smoKe as he goes.
The roof collapses the air conditioning unit falls on his head, he dies.
What Killed him? OKay, VicKi Mercer and Carl Finn I believe are in the bathroom.
Mile-High Club.
If you asK me, it's their spouses that are the dummies.
Emily Behrle is in 3F.
Preston Cash, 1A.
Tony Candlewell, dead guy.
Right there, 3C.
And for now, he's alive until he's dead.
So, you want to tell us what we're doing here? The physical evidence that Sarah, NicK, and I collected is contradicting the anecdotal statements that you, Catherine, and WarricK got and my money's on the physical evidence.
So is mine.
These passengers are lying.
I mean, if this was an arson case, we'd burn down an empty house to prove our theory, right? Well, in this case we're going to recreate the flight from 1 630 hours on.
You are in 4B.
Lou.
Lou, the angry businessman.
How about that? I want to be Shannon.
Good.
The stewardess.
Excuse me, it's flight attendant.
Catherine-- the doctor, 3E.
Single mom.
What an imagination you have.
Max and Marlene, 2E and F.
You two are married.
Who wants to wear the pants? CSl-3 seniority, sweetie.
Yeah, whatever.
You're henpecKed anyway.
Let me guess-- you're the computer geeK.
In the interest of clarity, yes.
Nate in 2C.
OKay, looK, it's going to be sunrise in ten minutes.
We're going to have to do a Run, Lola, Run and play this in literal time.
Up until the point that Captain Murdle escorted the dead guy bacK to his seat the events are substantiated by the flight log and the eyewitness statements unless anybody Knows something different.
What time was that? exactly 33 minutes before they landed in Vegas.
One minute later, the plane hit turbulence.
And according to the flight attendant that's when our stiff lost it and started hammering his call button.
So, I walK over try to calm the guy down, but he won't quit.
Grissom: Well, we Know he's suffering from encephalitis.
He's probably sweating and fighting bacK a migraine.
I Know what my guy's doing in my seat-- Lou.
He's getting ticKed off.
Yeah, but Candlewell is ticKing off Nate in 2C even worse.
I mean, this guy is perseverating.
That's when he winds up and breaKs your seat.
So, I get up, spin around confront the guy.
Now, Lou in 4B said he was the peacemaKer.
Brass: PeacemaKer, my ass.
He's got three empties in the pouch.
Seat reeKs of whisKey.
The guy probably spilled Lou's drinK.
Very good.
I was boss at CSl once.
For a reason.
Anyway, Lou gets up.
He's angry.
He taKes a swipe at the guy.
After KnocKing a few bacK at 33,000 feet you Know, probably misses.
And what does he get for his trouble? A CD swipe across the chops.
So, he falls bacK, and maybe spilled his own drinK.
This time Candlewell's got to be out of his seat, right? StoKes: If I'm Max, I want no part of this.
Plus I don't have an aisle seat.
Yeah, but your wife is going to maKe sure that you get in the playing field.
Yeah, go ahead, honey.
Save my life.
StoKes: Right.
Max gets up slides across Marlene.
Excuse me, Buttercup.
Candlewell's moving up and down the aisle by now.
I come over confront the dead guy.
Then what? Who talKed to 2F? I did.
Max told the dead guy to sit down.
He turned, he shoved Max into the food cart Max landed on the ground.
WarricK-- I mean, Marlene-- that's when you got up and grabbed the broKen wine necK.
Saved NicK's butt as usual.
Brass: Bottle of wine on the floor.
You slash at Candlewell then he swipes him across the hand-- hence the defensive wound.
Now, our guy's bleeding.
He turns and heads for the cocKpit.
Bang-- he wants in the cocKpit but the door is locKed.
Captain Murdle gets on the horn calls First Class twice.
No answer.
Why? Shannon's vapor-locKed.
He can't get in the cocKpit.
What's next? He heads for the exit door.
Blood underneath the latch handle shows that Candlewell tried to open it.
Candlewell gets the door open, they all die.
Now it's a whole new ball game.
It's every man for himself.
Oh, yeah.
This is where they all get scared.
Brown: And according to Preston, Max, and Lou they got to Candlewell first.
The struggle ensued.
Max and Lou slammed into Preston and at some point Candlewell goes down.
Now it's a free-for-all.
'Cause my shoes end up on his bacK.
Mine too.
-Ditto.
WarricK: He's messing with me; I get my licKs in.
Grissom: Nate's KnucKles were bruised he's in on it.
We're in close quarters so there's elbows flying everywhere.
That's probably how the doctor got her blacK eye.
Right.
-Hey, guys! If you jump a guy at the exit he dies at the exit.
Yeah.
And our guy was found five feet away with his head towards coach.
NicK: He tried to get away.
WarricK: But they didn't let him.
Willows: And at this point we aren't individuals anymore; we're a mob.
Emily: Mommy! You can't perform CPR on a man's bacK.
Dr.
Burley had to have rolled him over.
Probably just to cover for ourselves.
That maKes us all murderers.
I want five of those passengers arrested for murder.
That's four more than I anticipated.
We looKed at the evidence, and the evidence says five.
Let me get this straight.
Five strangers get on a plane and then together, they Kill a man.
On the surface, self-defense.
They thought Candlewell was bringing the plane down.
And he would've.
But he didn't.
They stopped him, and then they Killed him not as individuals, but as a mob.
Let's cut to the chase, Gil.
Can you prove your case? Not yet.
I need more time.
Yeah, well, time's up.
I'm going to give these people their walKing papers.
If the Feds want to pursue it, let them.
Oh, come on.
Don't do that.
No jury's going to ever convict them.
You don't Know that, Brian.
LooK, if you or l were on that plane we would do whatever it taKes to save our lives.
That's what a jury would say.
That's not what the evidence says.
Exactly my point.
( vehicle starts ) Woman: Las Vegas Air has issued no formal comment other than to stand by the actions taKen by the flight crew.
Meanwhile, the first-class passengers from the flight have been released and no charges will be filed.
The airline provided a bus to their Las Vegas destinations.
Our request for interviews were denied, leaving the events surrounding the death of Tony Candlewell a mystery.
Hey.
Whoa.
Let it go, guys.
Those people should be going to jail not some hotel on the Strip.
It's out of our hands.
Our field ruling was overturned by the good old Sheriff and the Feds.
StoKes: And you're oKay with that? We processed evidence for 1 2 hours Iaid out the whole case and now those passengers are going to sucK martinis and eat shrimp cocktails? Where's the justice? Oh, you thinK this is about justice? Yeah, what else? It's about human nature how people react when their lives are threatened.
I Know you're not condoning what they did.
I'm not discounting it.
I mean, thinK about it-- is there any place more vulnerable than being at 30,000 feet in a tin can? Feeling vulnerable is not a defense and where they were is irrelevant.
They tooK a life.
Because their lives were threatened.
Their lives were threatened when Candlewell was at the emergency exit trying to open it, but the five feet between the exit and the aisles is what made the difference between self-defense and murder.
Human nature again.
I mean, adrenaline doesn't come with an off switch.
I don't care what you say.
I could never taKe a life.
If it was between him or me, I could.
NicK? I don't Know.
Well it's wicKed serious in here.
Yeah, well, we were just talKing about murder and whether we would commit it.
I couldn't, WarricK could and NicK's on the fence.
We're taKing an exit poll.
StoKes: Catherine, you're a mother.
You have Lindsey, you're on that plane.
How far do you go? All the way.
That's right.
You didn't even hesitate.
If it involves the protection of my child I fight to the death.
WarricK: See? We have four people here, all with different opinions.
ThinK of how the passengers must have felt.
What do you thinK, Grissom? I can't answer that question.
That's a cop-out.
It's a simple question.
What would you have done if you had been one of those passengers? It's not about that.
You all have different opinions but you've taKen the same point of view.
You put yourself in the shoes of the passengers but nobody's put themselves in the shoes of the victim.
I'm sorry.
What are you saying? Nobody stopped to asK Candlewell if he was all right.
They just assumed because he was KicKing the bacK of Nate's seat that he was a jerK because he was pushing his call button that he was bothering the flight attendant because he was trying to get into the lavatory he was maKing a scene, because he was going bacK and forth up and down the aisles, he was posing a threat.
He was threat.
No.
He turned into a threat.
It didn't have to be that way.
People maKe assumptions.
That's the problem.
You just did.
And I thinK these passengers made the wrong assumption and now this guy's dead.
Well, if that's your stance how could it have been prevented? If just one person had stopped and taKen the time to looK at the guy to listen to him, to figure out what was wrong with him it might not have happened.
It tooK five people to Kill him.
It would've only taKen one person to save his life.
CBS PRODUCTlONS and ALLlANCE ATLANTlS
Request emergency personnel.
Over.
Las Vegas Nine-Zero-Nine, McCarren Tower.
Specify request.
Over.
Negative, McCarren.
Advise on runway.
Las Vegas Nine-Zero-Nine cleared for V-O-R Runway One-Five approach.
Over.
V-O-R Runway One-Five approach.
Roger.
Request Las Vegas Police.
Understand-- "police"? Roger.
Mommy! ( groaning ) Brass: Luggage stays in the plane.
We're going to treat this liKe a crime scene until we're told otherwise.
Tim, Sam, talK to the coach passengers.
See what you can't learn.
All right, looK I'm going to talK to the first class passengers that are in the lounge.
Let's meet bacK there in a half an hour, all right? Imagine that all the way from Atlanta to Las Vegas.
So dead guy in first class? Las Vegas Air.
Always heard it was a good time.
( clears throat ) Coroner pronounce? About 30 minutes ago.
Eyewitnesses? Everyone in the first class-- Nine passengers, one flight attendant.
Where are they now? -Sequestered in the lounge.
According to the flight crew, the deceased had some sort of panic attacK and died before they landed.
Point of disturbance: cocKpit door.
Bloody handprint.
LooKs liKe foot impression.
BallparK shoe size ten to 1 1.
Deceased found lying between rows one and two.
What is that, blood? I want this whole plane taped off nose to tail and wing to wing.
Oh, it's going to taKe a lot of tape.
I've got a dead body, a crime scene with wings.
Something very wrong happened in this plane.
Sheriff? We've got a whale of an opportunity here, Gil.
Dead body on an airplane-- F.
A.
A.
has jurisdiction.
But the feds won't be here till sunrise.
That gives us about 1 2 hours to be heroes.
I don't follow you.
Well, we either hand over the guy who did it when the feds get here or we give them all the glory while we watch from the sidelines.
I don't even Know if we have a homicide yet.
First reports indicate he had some Kind of an episode.
Give me a little credit.
Even you wouldn't tape off one of these wide-bodies unless you Knew you had something.
Arrest would be good for you.
It would be good for me too, good for Las Vegas.
You running for mayor? What about the passengers in coach? Did they see anything? Brass said the curtain was shut.
Flight attendant Kept them separated.
They disembarKed through the rear.
What do we Know about the dead guy? Tony Candlewell, age 30.
Communications company manager from Atlanta, married no record.
So? What do you thinK? Catherine: I don't Know but this sure must have looKed scary at 30,000 feet.
WarricK: All this done by one guy? Had to be on drugs.
Too much damage for one guy.
So, more than one guy? What do you thinK, Gris? I thinK we've got ten witnesses all singing the same song.
The deceased went berserK.
Unless we find something else in the evidence, that's what happened.
Catherine.
I'll start the interviews.
-ThanK you.
WarricK, go with.
Brass has them all assembled in the lounge.
Assume evidence on everyone.
NicK, go with the coroner.
Sara and I will worK the plane.
This is a mobile crime scene.
It might not be here tomorrow.
Miss, my daughter has to go to the bathroom.
OKay.
I'll see what I can do.
ThanK you.
How are you holding up? I'm still shaKing.
Could I have your attention? I'm Jim Brass from Homicide.
This is Catherine Willows and WarricK Brown from Las Vegas Criminalistics.
They're here to gather evidence.
You Know you can't Keep us here.
Sir, we realize this is an imposition, and we apologize for it.
Nobody wants to see you on your way more than we do.
We'll maKe this as quicK and painless as we possibly can.
Man: OKay.
Nice snow job.
More flies with honey.
Driver's license Iibrary card organ donor card.
Stand-up guy.
He had a family.
Can you imagine getting that phone call? What a shame.
David It's always a shame.
Man: I saw him board.
He seemed liKe an oKay guy.
Here, let me help you with that.
Oh, thanK you.
ThanK you very much.
Sure, no problem.
When did you become aware that there was a problem in the cabin? Shannon asKed one of us to come out and address an issue with a passenger.
What's the problem, Shannon? Hello.
Do me a favor: Go bacK to coach.
MaKe sure no one comes forward.
ThanKs.
Come on, it's been ten minutes! -Sir is there some way we can assist you? You can help me open this door.
There are two other restrooms towards the rear of the plane.
I paid $1,200 to pee here, not in coach.
Sir? You need to taKe your seat.
How much time did you spend with him? Two minutes.
In that time did you notice anything that would explain his behavior? Was he drunK maybe, or on drugs? Not as far as I could tell.
A little agitated.
It's not liKe I haven't seen this Kind of behavior before.
Flying just maKes people react in funny ways.
Is that a meat thermometer? Digital readout.
Bigger numbers.
Guy should be colder than that.
Body temperature drops two degrees in the first hour after death then one and a half degrees for each successive hour.
Well, he's been dead for two hours.
That would maKe his temperature at the time of death This guy had a fever.
Let's see what else we've got.
Petecchial hemorrhaging behind the eyes suggesting suffocation of some sort.
Horseshoe-shaped contusion on the left side of the necK.
LooKs liKe the heel of a boot.
Oh, I'll buy that-- for now.
Multiple contusions front and bacK.
BroKen hand.
Well, this guy's a study in contradictions.
He's got defensive wounds on his palms but the scrapes on his KnucKles and the broKen hand indicate aggression.
Grissom: Dr.
Kiera Behrle, 3E.
Emily Behrle, 3F.
Nate Metz, 2C.
Nate Metz.
Put your seat bacK and tray table in their upright position.
I don't thinK so.
Let me guess who was sitting in 3C.
Tony Candlewell.
The dead guy.
LooK, the guy was a real ass.
In what way? LooK, you Know why I fly first class? Other than the fact that my company pays for it? Because I can worK.
I have to worK.
And he wouldn't let you? No, he, he, he Kept KicKing the bacK of my seat with his foot.
You Know, liKe in a movie theater when somebody's KicKing your seat? Catherine: Are you telling me this guy was KicKing the bacK of your seat the entire flight? Maybe not the entire flight.
You Know, liKe, liKe Dallas to, to Las Vegas.
Hey, Pele, could you please stop KicKing the bacK of my seat? I wasn't doing anything.
You Know exactly what you're doing.
Stop it.
What did you do? I ju I ignored him.
You Know, I punched the seat a couple times in anger and that's it.
LooK, the guy set me off.
It was either the seat or him.
May I see your hands? Your KnucKles are pretty banged up.
Blood drops away from the main event.
Maybe that's where the action started.
Could just be a bloody nose.
Who was sitting in 4B? Lou Everett.
Lou Everett? Yeah.
-How'd you get that slice around the chops? The guy swung at me with a C.
D.
Put his finger in the hole and slashed me.
What guy? That crazy guy, the psycho.
He was out of his mind.
What the hell is wrong with you? You Know, you owe me another laptop, pal.
( mumbles ) Hey! -Everett: Hey, hey.
We're in mid-flight now, guys.
That's enough.
So what do you thinK? Bodily injury can I sue a dead man? I thinK you need some coffee.
What do you mean? A few cocktails on the plane, Lou? LooK, I get nervous when I fly, so what? Well, alcohol does different things to different people at different altitudes.
Hey, I was fine.
He went bananas.
Why don't you just asK asK the flight attendant? So, we were about when he started pressing his call button over and over.
He was complaining of a headache.
And did you give him anything? Yeah, I gave him a pacKet of aspirin and he popped it dry, no water.
Catherine: And, as far as you Know did he complain of a headache when he boarded? No.
So what made the worm turn? LooK, I've been flying for ten years.
You Know, I have seen it all.
I've seen ferrets in suitcases, uh, fellatio in first class passengers stir-frying on their tray tables.
I mean Who Knows why anyone does anything? Right.
Well, thanKs for your time.
ThanK you.
ThanKs.
So, any bites? Nada.
You? If nothing criminal happened on that flight why isn't anybody talKing to us? I'm going to go out on a limb here and say they're hiding something? Then we get to play hide-and-seeK.
I just got off the phone with NicK.
The coroner did some carving on our dead guy.
He found intercranial bleeding, thoracic hemorrhaging a ruptured spleen.
And for what it's worth the guy also had a fever.
Did you find anything interesting? Well, the guy in 4B was KnocKing them bacK pretty good.
Could be dried blood.
Victim had defensive wounds on his hand.
Marlene Valdez was sitting in 2E.
LooK at me.
my blouse is ruined.
Just hope it washes out.
We'll get you a new one.
Marlene: After I saved your life, you better.
Brass: Mr.
Valdez was your life in danger? Well, you Know Of course his life was in danger.
That maniac was pacing up and down the aisles.
All sweating.
His eyes were glazed.
I was sure he was going to hijacK that plane.
Everyone needs to return to their seats.
( cups rattling ) Do something.
No, we should just mind our own business.
Well, if you don't do something, I will.
Uh Ex-excuse me, sir.
Uh why don't you just taKe a seat? ( crashing ) Grissom: The other half of the wine bottle from 2E.
So Marlene in 2E slashes the victim.
He's bleeding where does he go? The lavatory.
No evidence.
No.
No "patent" evidence.
But if there's blood present there maybe latent evidence.
One step ahead of you, every so often.
ThanK you.
Well.
Would you hand me the Christopher Columbus from my field Kit? ThanK you.
( clicKs ) I taKe it that's not blood.
No but there's protein in it.
Oh, the mile-high club.
That means the two passengers may have had no idea what was going on inside that cabin.
You Know, high altitude enhances the entire sexual experience.
It increases the euphoria.
Well it's good.
I don't Know if it's that good.
Cite your source.
Hand me a swab, please.
You're avoiding the question.
"Enhances sexual experience.
Increases euphoria.
" Cite your source.
A magazine.
What magazine? Applied Psychodynamics in Forensic Science.
Never heard of it.
I'll get you a subscription.
Now, cite your source.
Oh now you want to go down that route? Yeah.
Nah.
Never mind.
You started it.
Delta Airlines, Flight 1 1 09, Boston to Miami March '93, Ken Fuller.
Hazel eyes organic chem lab TABMOC overrated in every aspect.
Could we get bacK to worK, please? Yeah.
I thinK your, uh firsthand Knowledge and experience in airplane bathrooms you should do the swab.
Fine.
Catherine: And where were you when this was all going on, Mrs.
Finn? Uh, Mercer, Vicky Mercer.
Um, I was in the bathroom.
In the bathroom? For how long? For a while.
I I really don't fly very well.
And where was your husband? Carl: We're not married.
We just worK together.
Right.
Where were you? I was in my seat.
-So, then you saw what happened? I had my headphones on.
I was listening to the air traffic control channel.
Puts me right out.
Catherine: So, you slept through everything and you woKe up next to a dead body.
Basically, yeah.
Handprints.
A stallion.
All right, we're going to have to change tact here because what I said about getting more flies with honey-- I was wrong.
This is incredible.
Ten people and no one's talKing.
My theory: the Killer is in the group and the rest of them are afraid.
That guy was wearing KhaKis, right? Yeah.
Fibers drawn from his pants maybe? We get anything else off the clothes? NicK's worKing on it.
What have you got? Well what you've got here is a nice Bordeaux and a StarbucK's blend.
No blood.
No saliva.
What about prints? Uh, well, suede leather's a tough gig.
It's too porous.
Hey.
Are you losing your touch there, Einstein? Coroner's photos of the dead guy's bacK.
Multiple horseshoe-shaped bruises.
Those are definitely shoeprints.
Yeah, looKs liKe somebody stomped on your dead guy.
Hmm.
Bring me the jacKet.
If I do heel impressions I'll need something to compare it to.
See you in 20.
I need their shoes.
Why you telling me? Because you're the people person, right? Well, why don't you tell them that? They're not giving mebupKes.
( crunching ) Please? OKay, people.
Listen up.
Shoes.
Off.
Now.
( cracKling ) It all comes down to shoeprints.
Hey.
Catherine: Hi.
LooKs liKe a shoe sale.
Uh, NicK sent these photo comparisons over from the lab.
-Oh.
Excellent.
Max.
That a fit? Yeah ( sighs ): Well, that's it then.
( drops magnifying glass ) OKay, folKs.
I've got some good news and I've got some bad news.
The good news? Well, the good news would be that seven of you may be getting out of here very soon.
What's the bad news? The bad news is that three of you may be staying in Vegas a lot longer than you planned.
And that would be Mr.
Lou Everett,,, Mr.
Max Valdez, and Dr.
Kiera Behrle.
Would you please come with me.
Stevie, Keep these guys on ice.
I'm sorry, ma'am.
This is as far as your daughter can go but we'll have an officer stay with her.
Come on.
It's been a rough night.
Dr.
Behrle, we're going to be asKing you some very sensitive questions-- questions that I Know that I wouldn't want my daughter to hear.
Hi.
My name is Jim.
What's your name? Emily.
Emily.
Oh, that's a great name.
Emily, I'm going to maKe you a deal, oKay? We're going to borrow your mom for a little while.
I'll be right bacK, sweetie, oKay? OKay.
OKay? And here's the good part.
You get to borrow anything you see on me.
Can I borrow your gun? Well, you Know, my gun it's Kind of it's old, and it's heavy and and it's stucK there.
Anything else? How about your badge? You got a deal, and you Know what? This is the best thing.
You Know why? Because anyone gives you any trouble all you got to do is flash this.
There you go.
So, were you scared? Did you see what happened? OKay.
OKay.
It's oKay.
Sweet Kid-- Emily.
Uh, so, Dr.
Behrle how long have you been a physician? I prefer surgeon.
Mm, oKay.
I've been practicing for 1 1 years.
And what was the nature of your visit to, uh to Las Vegas? Emily.
She wanted to see the white tigers.
How did you get that blacK eye? I caught it during the rucKus.
The price you pay for being a Good Samaritan.
OKay.
I'm, uh just a little confused.
Your heel impressions were found on the bacK of the victim's suede jacKet.
That's a little aggressive for a Good Samaritan.
Man: No! No! Hey, stop it! Oh Get out of the way.
Get out of the way! Give him some air.
Sir? One, two three One, two If he had been in my ER I might have been able to save him but at 30,000 feet, there's only so much you can do.
LooK I did what I could.
And you're satisfied with that? Why? Because I'm a doctor I'm responsible for what happened on that plane? What did happen? I protected my daughter and I tried to save a guy's life.
And yes, I'm satisfied with that.
Well, you've seen Cops the TV show, so you Know our game.
The first one to talK gets to maKe a deal.
I don't need a deal.
No? Well, maybe your daughter Emily needs you to taKe one.
Grissom: Mm-hmm.
Right.
MaKes sense.
OKay.
ThanKs, Catherine.
We have a ping-pong ball.
We just need to find the paddles.
Where are they? Probably in the first compartment.
The doctor in 3E told Catherine that she performed CPR on the victim.
ChecK the inside of the paddles.
See if there's any bio gel on them.
These looK liKe they weren't even used.
There was more lubricant in the bathroom.
It's pretty negligent for a doctor.
She's got to Know every commercial airline carries defib paddles.
Yeah, and if she didn't Know, the flight attendant sure did.
By the time I thought to grab the defibrillator he was already dead.
But you are trained to use the paddles in the event of an emergency and this was an emergency situation.
Yes, but I'm trained to use them when a man is having cardiac arrest in his seat not flopping around in the aisle.
So, whatever it was he was going through it didn't looK a heart attacK.
LooK, I'm going to be honest with you.
I was scared.
I mean I thought this guy was going to taKe us all down.
All right, everyone needs to return to their seats.
I've got to get off! ( yelling ) I have to land this plane! All right, so let me get this straight.
His wife is in the aisle brandishing a broKen wine bottle.
What about 1A? He was closest to the action.
That would be Mr.
Cash.
Um, he was in his seat.
Mr.
Cash.
I was wondering when you guys were going to get around to asKing me some questions.
So, what did you see? Not much.
Sir, it's been a long night, and we don't have much time before our crime scene flies away.
I was in my seat.
You were sitting in 1A.
You were sitting ringside.
How do you not see what happened? The blind leading the blind.
I'm not totally blind.
I'm legally blind.
My central visual acuity is 20/200.
( grunting ) The plane has to land! We've got to get off this plane! Woman: Get him off the door! No, no, no! Brown: Can you identify the voices? ( sighs ) First voice.
Businessman.
I could tell by the way he ordered drinKs.
How do you mean? JW BlacK, triple not double.
Second voice, guy in 2F, Kind of far away.
Max.
Third voice? Third voice, row behind me, two seats over.
Mr.
Dot-com.
Guy must've typed Mr.
Cash, you've got to help me.
I've got eight eyewitnesses with various stories.
I put them all in a mixing bowl, add eggs, milK sticK it in the oven, and all I got is a limp souffle.
We need you to tell us everything you heard.
From the time the deceased banged on the cocKpit door to the time he died.
Then listen up.
We need to get off this plane! I have to get off this plane! Get him off the door.
Get out of the way.
Get out of the way.
No! ( grunting, blows landing ) I never heard such silence.
( beeping ) I got two hours till I lose my crime scene to the feds.
Tell me you have something.
I Know what set this guy off.
That's more than I got.
We Know our victim suffered from intercranial bleeding.
I had that pegged as possible cause of death so I cracK his sKull open, and what do I find? A cantaloupe in a soup can.
Tight fit.
And not from one or two blows to the head.
He was also running a high fever so I tested his spinal fluid.
A normal protein level is between 1 5 and 45 milligrams.
Candlewell's was 60.
Did anybody mention this guy had a headache? Flight attendant gave him two aspirin.
Why? He was suffering from undiagnosed encephalitis.
Swelling of the brain.
It can manifest liKe a heart attacK: slurred speech delirium, loss of consciousness.
You throw in the altitude and the air pressure changes in the cabin and our guy was probably out of his mind.
Is that what Killed him-- encephalitis? It wasn't the one thing that Killed him.
Ruptured spleen, intercranial bleeding petecchial hemorrhaging.
And the guy's heart just stopped beating.
A, B, C, D or all of the above.
Standoff with the police-- guy gets shot in the chest runs bacK into his burning house inhaling smoKe as he goes.
The roof collapses the air conditioning unit falls on his head, he dies.
What Killed him? OKay, VicKi Mercer and Carl Finn I believe are in the bathroom.
Mile-High Club.
If you asK me, it's their spouses that are the dummies.
Emily Behrle is in 3F.
Preston Cash, 1A.
Tony Candlewell, dead guy.
Right there, 3C.
And for now, he's alive until he's dead.
So, you want to tell us what we're doing here? The physical evidence that Sarah, NicK, and I collected is contradicting the anecdotal statements that you, Catherine, and WarricK got and my money's on the physical evidence.
So is mine.
These passengers are lying.
I mean, if this was an arson case, we'd burn down an empty house to prove our theory, right? Well, in this case we're going to recreate the flight from 1 630 hours on.
You are in 4B.
Lou.
Lou, the angry businessman.
How about that? I want to be Shannon.
Good.
The stewardess.
Excuse me, it's flight attendant.
Catherine-- the doctor, 3E.
Single mom.
What an imagination you have.
Max and Marlene, 2E and F.
You two are married.
Who wants to wear the pants? CSl-3 seniority, sweetie.
Yeah, whatever.
You're henpecKed anyway.
Let me guess-- you're the computer geeK.
In the interest of clarity, yes.
Nate in 2C.
OKay, looK, it's going to be sunrise in ten minutes.
We're going to have to do a Run, Lola, Run and play this in literal time.
Up until the point that Captain Murdle escorted the dead guy bacK to his seat the events are substantiated by the flight log and the eyewitness statements unless anybody Knows something different.
What time was that? exactly 33 minutes before they landed in Vegas.
One minute later, the plane hit turbulence.
And according to the flight attendant that's when our stiff lost it and started hammering his call button.
So, I walK over try to calm the guy down, but he won't quit.
Grissom: Well, we Know he's suffering from encephalitis.
He's probably sweating and fighting bacK a migraine.
I Know what my guy's doing in my seat-- Lou.
He's getting ticKed off.
Yeah, but Candlewell is ticKing off Nate in 2C even worse.
I mean, this guy is perseverating.
That's when he winds up and breaKs your seat.
So, I get up, spin around confront the guy.
Now, Lou in 4B said he was the peacemaKer.
Brass: PeacemaKer, my ass.
He's got three empties in the pouch.
Seat reeKs of whisKey.
The guy probably spilled Lou's drinK.
Very good.
I was boss at CSl once.
For a reason.
Anyway, Lou gets up.
He's angry.
He taKes a swipe at the guy.
After KnocKing a few bacK at 33,000 feet you Know, probably misses.
And what does he get for his trouble? A CD swipe across the chops.
So, he falls bacK, and maybe spilled his own drinK.
This time Candlewell's got to be out of his seat, right? StoKes: If I'm Max, I want no part of this.
Plus I don't have an aisle seat.
Yeah, but your wife is going to maKe sure that you get in the playing field.
Yeah, go ahead, honey.
Save my life.
StoKes: Right.
Max gets up slides across Marlene.
Excuse me, Buttercup.
Candlewell's moving up and down the aisle by now.
I come over confront the dead guy.
Then what? Who talKed to 2F? I did.
Max told the dead guy to sit down.
He turned, he shoved Max into the food cart Max landed on the ground.
WarricK-- I mean, Marlene-- that's when you got up and grabbed the broKen wine necK.
Saved NicK's butt as usual.
Brass: Bottle of wine on the floor.
You slash at Candlewell then he swipes him across the hand-- hence the defensive wound.
Now, our guy's bleeding.
He turns and heads for the cocKpit.
Bang-- he wants in the cocKpit but the door is locKed.
Captain Murdle gets on the horn calls First Class twice.
No answer.
Why? Shannon's vapor-locKed.
He can't get in the cocKpit.
What's next? He heads for the exit door.
Blood underneath the latch handle shows that Candlewell tried to open it.
Candlewell gets the door open, they all die.
Now it's a whole new ball game.
It's every man for himself.
Oh, yeah.
This is where they all get scared.
Brown: And according to Preston, Max, and Lou they got to Candlewell first.
The struggle ensued.
Max and Lou slammed into Preston and at some point Candlewell goes down.
Now it's a free-for-all.
'Cause my shoes end up on his bacK.
Mine too.
-Ditto.
WarricK: He's messing with me; I get my licKs in.
Grissom: Nate's KnucKles were bruised he's in on it.
We're in close quarters so there's elbows flying everywhere.
That's probably how the doctor got her blacK eye.
Right.
-Hey, guys! If you jump a guy at the exit he dies at the exit.
Yeah.
And our guy was found five feet away with his head towards coach.
NicK: He tried to get away.
WarricK: But they didn't let him.
Willows: And at this point we aren't individuals anymore; we're a mob.
Emily: Mommy! You can't perform CPR on a man's bacK.
Dr.
Burley had to have rolled him over.
Probably just to cover for ourselves.
That maKes us all murderers.
I want five of those passengers arrested for murder.
That's four more than I anticipated.
We looKed at the evidence, and the evidence says five.
Let me get this straight.
Five strangers get on a plane and then together, they Kill a man.
On the surface, self-defense.
They thought Candlewell was bringing the plane down.
And he would've.
But he didn't.
They stopped him, and then they Killed him not as individuals, but as a mob.
Let's cut to the chase, Gil.
Can you prove your case? Not yet.
I need more time.
Yeah, well, time's up.
I'm going to give these people their walKing papers.
If the Feds want to pursue it, let them.
Oh, come on.
Don't do that.
No jury's going to ever convict them.
You don't Know that, Brian.
LooK, if you or l were on that plane we would do whatever it taKes to save our lives.
That's what a jury would say.
That's not what the evidence says.
Exactly my point.
( vehicle starts ) Woman: Las Vegas Air has issued no formal comment other than to stand by the actions taKen by the flight crew.
Meanwhile, the first-class passengers from the flight have been released and no charges will be filed.
The airline provided a bus to their Las Vegas destinations.
Our request for interviews were denied, leaving the events surrounding the death of Tony Candlewell a mystery.
Hey.
Whoa.
Let it go, guys.
Those people should be going to jail not some hotel on the Strip.
It's out of our hands.
Our field ruling was overturned by the good old Sheriff and the Feds.
StoKes: And you're oKay with that? We processed evidence for 1 2 hours Iaid out the whole case and now those passengers are going to sucK martinis and eat shrimp cocktails? Where's the justice? Oh, you thinK this is about justice? Yeah, what else? It's about human nature how people react when their lives are threatened.
I Know you're not condoning what they did.
I'm not discounting it.
I mean, thinK about it-- is there any place more vulnerable than being at 30,000 feet in a tin can? Feeling vulnerable is not a defense and where they were is irrelevant.
They tooK a life.
Because their lives were threatened.
Their lives were threatened when Candlewell was at the emergency exit trying to open it, but the five feet between the exit and the aisles is what made the difference between self-defense and murder.
Human nature again.
I mean, adrenaline doesn't come with an off switch.
I don't care what you say.
I could never taKe a life.
If it was between him or me, I could.
NicK? I don't Know.
Well it's wicKed serious in here.
Yeah, well, we were just talKing about murder and whether we would commit it.
I couldn't, WarricK could and NicK's on the fence.
We're taKing an exit poll.
StoKes: Catherine, you're a mother.
You have Lindsey, you're on that plane.
How far do you go? All the way.
That's right.
You didn't even hesitate.
If it involves the protection of my child I fight to the death.
WarricK: See? We have four people here, all with different opinions.
ThinK of how the passengers must have felt.
What do you thinK, Grissom? I can't answer that question.
That's a cop-out.
It's a simple question.
What would you have done if you had been one of those passengers? It's not about that.
You all have different opinions but you've taKen the same point of view.
You put yourself in the shoes of the passengers but nobody's put themselves in the shoes of the victim.
I'm sorry.
What are you saying? Nobody stopped to asK Candlewell if he was all right.
They just assumed because he was KicKing the bacK of Nate's seat that he was a jerK because he was pushing his call button that he was bothering the flight attendant because he was trying to get into the lavatory he was maKing a scene, because he was going bacK and forth up and down the aisles, he was posing a threat.
He was threat.
No.
He turned into a threat.
It didn't have to be that way.
People maKe assumptions.
That's the problem.
You just did.
And I thinK these passengers made the wrong assumption and now this guy's dead.
Well, if that's your stance how could it have been prevented? If just one person had stopped and taKen the time to looK at the guy to listen to him, to figure out what was wrong with him it might not have happened.
It tooK five people to Kill him.
It would've only taKen one person to save his life.
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