05E05 - Death Eminent

When a city councilman is found murdered in his home, Horatio & the CSI team find themselves in the middle of an eminent domain case - involving the city appropriating peoples' homes so a developer can build a hotel on the property. Ryan Wolfe finds himself the subject of a complaint by a sheriff's deputy after he tries to stop the deputy from taking a family's property, and when Horatio checks further he discovers that his old enemy - Judge Joseph Ratner is the judge hearing the eminent domain case. Even more chilling is a young girl's body that turns up in a neighbor's yard, and the owner apparently was given full market value for it while other neighbors' values were reduced by half. Natalia Boa Vista comes under harassment by her ex-husband, and she discovers a chilling truth - the dead girl is Judge Ratner's biological daughter! Another link to the fiendish trial judge is discovered when the owner admits he was paid by the judge to kill the girl. Horatio arrests the smug judge in his chambers, and the young woman is given a proper funeral.