Burden of Proof (7 Feb. 2002)

A body is found in the body farm. He died from what looks like a bullet wound, yet Dr. Robbins and Grissom can't find any bullet fragments. Instead, they found bits of ground beef inside ... See full summary »

Director:

Kenneth Fink

Writers:

Anthony E. Zuiker (creator), Ann Donahue

Stars:

William Petersen, Marg Helgenberger, Gary Dourdan

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
William Petersen	...	Gil Grissom
Marg Helgenberger	...	Catherine Willows
Gary Dourdan	...	Warrick Brown
George Eads	...	Nick Stokes
Jorja Fox	...	Sara Sidle
Paul Guilfoyle	...	Captain Jim Brass
Eric Szmanda	...	Greg Sanders
Robert David Hall	...	Dr. Al Robbins
Janet Gunn	...	Jane Bradley
Sara Paxton	...	Jody Bradley
Dan Byrd	...	Jake Bradley
Terry Bozeman	...	Attorney Brad Lewis
Nancy Valen	...	Neighbor
Monnae Michaell	...	Doctor
Jason Beghe	...	Russ Bradley

Storyline

A body is found in the body farm. He died from what looks like a bullet wound, yet Dr. Robbins and Grissom can't find any bullet fragments. Instead, they found bits of ground beef inside the wound track. The team links this death to an arson case. The investigation takes a turn when the 12-year-old daughter of the deceased's fiancée has been a victim of sexual assault for some time. Back at the lab, Sara asks for a 6-month leave, citing that she doesn't feel at ease at work with her co-workers, especially with her boss, Grissom.

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Plot Keywords:

abuse | child abuse | boy | dna testing

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 February 2002 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jerry Bruckheimer Television, CBS Productions, Alliance Atlantis Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The "meat bullet" plot device used in this episode was tested by the Mythbusters in their Season 1, Episode 4 show, in which they also examined the possibility of ice bullets and other exotic - and conspiracy-theory-invoked - ammunition.

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Quotes

[Grissom finds compromising photos of teenaged Jody Bradley]
Nick Stokes: Sometimes I hate this job.

User Reviews

CSI:Crime Scene Investigation-Burden of Proof

Disturbing episode of CSI concerns child molestation and photography, including the arson of a victim's home in response to his murder. A corpse is found on a body farm(bodies dedicated to science and research are used here)and the bullet used is quite peculiar(to say the least) because no metal fragments or residue around the wound are found. Meanwhile, Sara plans to leave the lab because Grissom will not acknowledge her with the respect and feeling she longs for. A photographer is the victim and he's suspected of molesting his fiancé's daughter. The killer might just be the daughter's father, who owns a chain of grocery stores. An image enhanced on a photograph found of the teenage abuse victim could lead the CSI team to the killer. This is akin to a LAW & ORDER:SVU episode as the final result on who abused the teenage girl and why the victim was murdered, his home burned shortly after, leaves you with chills. Subject matter such as this can not be ignored; this is real life, folks. This episode has Janet Gunn as Jane Bradley, the mother whose fiancé was murdered, Sara Paxton(THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT remake rape victim)as Jane's molested daughter, and Jason Beghe as Russ, the ex-husband. The way a meat bullet is brought about is pretty neat, how Grissom discovers that this was key to the murder of the victim.