Criminal Minds (2005–…): Season 12, Episode 10 - Seek and Destroy - full transcript

All right, ladies, let's do this.

Whoo!

Aah!

It's a little early out on
the West Coast, isn't it?

Yeah, well, you know, something
weird is happening out here.

Now that you're in the BAU,

you might want to check it out.

I know it's not Scratch-related,

but my buddy at Miramar Air Force Base

says it's worth a look.

Home invasion murders
in upscale neighborhoods.



Each victim shot once.

The coordination needed
to pull this off says gang.

They really did a
number on these houses.

Well, to be honest, this reminds
me a little of a terrorist cell,

only all nihilism and no ideology.

Ok, let's see what the
rest of the team thinks.

Rick and Lenore Purcell
are the latest victims

of burglary-homicides in
wealthy San Diego neighborhoods.

Last week the same
happened to Janelle Klecker

while her husband was
out of town on business.

Janelle Klecker lived in Del Mar.

That's 7 miles away.

The Purcells were in Rancho Santa Fe.

Well, quite the party.



Narcotics, booze, vandalism.

Seems there was a fashion show.

Yeah, those are all women's clothing.

It looks like our gang's
both male and female.

Girls are just as susceptible
as boys to gang recruitment.

According to the National
Youth Gang Center,

about 20% are females.

Often people join gangs
for the sense of belonging,

and if they're socially isolated,

it provides them with a sense
of family for the first time.

Yeah, gangs also tend
to follow a hierarchy.

Alpha on top, then muscle,

devout right hand,
and then the soldiers.

So it looks like both times
they grabbed cash and electronics

but avoided jewels and art.

Well, that could be 'cause
they know what's easy to sell

and hard to track. That makes
them criminally-experienced.

Which is likely considering
they moved in and out

without witnesses or triggering alarms.

But it is hard to maintain
that level or organization

when you're high.

An M.O. mismatch like that

could have been caused
by group dynamics.

Too many cooks in the kitchen.

They should have waited until
the house was empty but didn't.

The gang could be thrill-seekers.

Could have been why the residents
were there when it happened.

Once is an accident, twice a trend.

Garcia, see if any of
the victims have secrets.

Skeletons in the closet, my specialty.

They could be targeting random
victims or working off a list.

It's difficult to tell
which from the files.

Look, I know I'm new here,

but to me it seems like they won't stop.

I'd rather fly out
there and find nothing

than stay here and see more
bodies drop. Wheels up in 20.

Hello, ma'am. Can I have
a moment of your time?

My little brother has
bone marrow cancer,

and our family can't afford
the costly treatments.

I'm gathering donations to
help pay for his radiation,

chemotherapy, and recovery.

It's gonna be a long road for him,

but with support like yours,
my brother has a chance

to fight this disease.

Everybody's affected by cancer.

Mom, Dad,

brother, sister, friend,

husband, wife.

I know times are tough,

but every bit counts.

Would you like to help?

Would you like to help?

I wish I could.

Would you like to help?

Why don't you come inside
while I get my checkbook.

Have a seat. I'll only be a second.

You have a lovely home.

Oh, thank you, dear.

"Now, we'll start this band of robbers"

"and call it Tom Sawyer's gang.

"Everybody that wants to
join has to take an oath

and write his name in blood."

Mark Twain.

Rick Purcell was a financial planner.

His wife Lenore ran
a high-end boutique.

It says here they have no kids,

no extended family either.

Janelle Klecker, our first victim,

she was the CFO of a
major accounting firm.

Her husband Dan owned strip
malls along the West Coast.

They also don't have kids, but
plenty of nieces and nephews.

Childless couples could be part
of their victim selection criteria.

Ok, I have looked inside and
out of these people's lives

and their closets are void of skeletons.

Aside from geography and
class, there's zero overlap.

What do we think is
motivating this gang?

Murder? Theft?

Maybe it's both.
We have evidence of cocaine,

marijuana, speed, alcohol.

That level of drug use
must affect their focus.

But to pull off a
coordinated attack like this,

at least one of them is sober.

Well, it could be the Alpha.

Maybe he's using the drugs
to control the others.

Well, if the shooter's
the same for each one,

my money's on the Alpha.

It depends. Some gang leaders

are willing to get their hands dirty,

others aren't.

Ok, when we land, Luke,
Rossi, head to the M.E.

Walker, set up with the local P.D.,

and JJ and I will go to
the Purcell crime scene.

Thank you for the donation, Mrs. Vendl.

Of course. And your brother
will be in our prayers.

They're perfect.

Good work, babe.

All right, get ready, boys and girls,

we found our next score.

Yeah! Whoo!

C.O.D.'s a single gunshot
wound to the forehead.

Ballistics confirms a
suppressed compact 9-millimeter

was used both times.

A relatively common firearm.

Any sexual assault?

None.

Home invasion victims
are often blitz attacked.

But not here. No defensive wounds,

no blunt-force trauma.

Then the unsubs likely used
the gun to control them.

Ligature marks on the wrists,

not overly abrasive. What was used?

Household items.

Janelle Klecker, a man's tie.

Probably her husband's.

The Purcells, a woman's belt

and a phone charger cord.

You see this?

The contact wounds look the same.

Did the first victim have one
in roughly the same spot?

Yes, almost exactly.

Hmm. Same weapon, same barrel placement,

same downward angle.

You add it up, it's a single shooter.

Whoever it was had to be sober

to maintain this level of self-control.

So, there's one shooter, clearheaded,

controlled, mature, on the hunt,

while the others go along
on a drug-fueled party binge.

Alvez and Rossi figure the
shooter was sober enough

to maintain self-control throughout.

Which means he's likely our Alpha.

It seems our Alpha has a muscle,

because whoever did this is strong.

Given this physicality,

it's likely a male,

whose rage is easy to
set off but also manage.

Anger created by an
event in childhood, maybe.

It's hard to see evidence of it,

but based on group dynamics,

we know this leader
has a devout right hand.

That person is an unwavering extension
of the Alpha,

providing him
with unconditional support.

But the level of immaturity right here

is a 180 from the Alpha.

That's the problem with group dynamics.

Different personalities,
different agendas.

This vandalism is likely
courtesy of the gang's soldiers.

Impressionable
and eager, they're probably

the youngest members.

Could have escaped a
negative home life, too,

with the leader acting as
the father figure they crave.

And if the Alpha supplied
them with drugs and alcohol,

it would make them easier to control.

Police said the music was
cranked up when they arrived.

With the distance between the houses,

I doubt the neighbors heard
anything, even gunshots.

So the shooter could have killed
them out here, but instead...

He kept them isolated, in here.

Maybe one of them can't
stomach the violence.

Yeah, but still, the shooter
wouldn't need a suppressor.

True.

Unless he didn't want
someone in the house to hear.

What if the other members
don't know about the killings?

Nothing here says these
victims were targeted.

So far they appear random.

In an area like this,
a ruse would work best.

A fake injury, claim to
be looking for a lost pet.

Well, whatever it was,
they would need to quietly

see the most potential
victims in the shortest time.

I've seen houses in the area
with the "no soliciting" signs.

Suggests it happens.
Maybe that's the ruse.

Around here, residents wouldn't hesitate

to call the police about a peddler.

Unless maybe they're
young and innocent-looking.

They could be selling
magazines or candy for a cause.

That would definitely
tug at the heartstrings.

It would also allow them
time to canvass thoroughly.

Ok, the local P.D.
needs to re-interview

both areas on the lookout for that ruse.

Locals re-canvassed
the area like we asked.

And numerous people
reported 3 different women

asking for donations to help
with a brother's cancer treatment.

That's how they determine
victim vulnerability.

Get inside, case the
people in their home,

report back to the Alpha.

I was with Dan Klecker,
Janelle’s widower.

They were on vacation for two weeks.

Came home the day before her murder.

And apparently the unsubs
waited for someone to be home.

They could have targeted her then.

In addition to looking at
the victim and the house,

they build a rapport.

Which they'd have to
visit multiple times to do.

That way, when they return,

the victim opens the door willingly,

and with security disarmed,

the gang can easily
overwhelm the victims.

I'm gonna go to evidence and
take a look at the checkbooks,

see if anyone made a donation.

Maybe the unsubs were arrogant

or desperate enough to cash a check.

Plenty of kind,
trusting people out there

to fall for a scam like this.

Who is it?

Hey, it's me. We met
yesterday, remember?

I think I left my scarf.

Why, yes, you did.

Get down! Get down! Get down!

Aah!

Ha ha ha ha! Whoo!

Claire?

What's going on?

Hey, what...

Hey! Uhh!

Uhh!

Oh, hello.

Mmm...

Ugh!

Aah! What do you think, babe, huh?

Time to have some fun?

Sure is.

Yay!

I got too wasted last time.

Come on, it's one little drink.

Hey, Zeke.

This place is toast, man.

You want to bail?

No.

We've been rude.

We'll let our hosts join us first.

Zeke, man, come on.

Come on. Hurry.

- Let's go.
- Hey. Hey!

Please don't hurt our family.

What the hell, man?

They saw my face!

Get down here.

Please. Please.

Please!

Zeke, you can't!

Now we can go.

We gotta split.

All 3 of us.

And go where?

I don't know. Who cares?

We'll figure it out.

Without Zeke?

I don't know.

I mean, I owe him my life.

Zeke's lost it.

After what he did, we have no choice.

Ok.

I mean, if you think so.

Well, I ain't goin'.

No way.

Quit being babies.

Zeke always knows
exactly what he's doing.

I'm sure he had his reasons.

He murdered those people, Viv.

He's out of his mind.

We steal.

We party.

We are not killers.

We'll wait a couple nights.

After that, when they're off doing...

You want to leave Bea?

She's been like a sister to us.

Did you see her face?

She liked it.

No mayo, right, Kay?

Something wrong?

Let's go.

Ok.

Victims are Claire and Joe Vendl,

with two adult children.

Neither live at home. And no pets.

Who called it in?

A private security patrol
saw their front door open,

lights on. Gang was long gone.

Whether or not they're
getting bolder or sloppy,

the party's over.

The wounds match the previous victims.

It looks like the same shooter.

The geography of the
victims, the way they fell,

means the shooter was likely here.

And based on this blood
spatter pattern shadow,

a gang member could
have been in this spot.

Janelle Klecker and the Purcells

were murdered in private,
away from the party.

This time the Alpha made a choice

to kill in front of the gang.

But why the change?

Is the shooter devolving?

Could be part of it?

A shift like this demands the
others' attention and respect.

The Alpha could be losing control.

So this could be a last-ditch effort

to reassert his dominance.

Hey, agents. You might want to see this.

Thanks, babe.

Yeah.

Something wrong?

Had too man fries, I guess.

Eat up. You need your strength.

Heard y'all want to leave.

Forget about the plan?

Kay!

You would have died on
the streets without Zeke.

And what about you, Germ, huh?

Broken, nowhere to go, no direction.

Zeke gave you a purpose.

And, Viv, turning tricks for cash.

Now you don't have to.

All 'cause of Zeke.

He's your savior.
You should be worshipping him,

but instead you want to go?

Zeke brought us together
and made us a family.

Don't you give a damn about family?

Bea.

Look, we hit enough of these houses.

You ain't gotta live
like animals no more.

But if you give up now, you are
exactly what they say you are...

Nothing. Nobody.

And they win.

You really want them to win?

But you stay the course,
I'll give you a future.

Ok.

Yeah.

I'm bored.

Mmm.

Their faces were burnt out.

Vandalism is normal,

but this is the first time

we've seen this kind of rage.

We said the party's over.

Maybe this is the next step.

The destruction of this photo

is more emotional than
the actual murders.

And for one of the gang members,

this picture's personal.

This type of anger is usually
directed toward a person.

This is an entire group,
and not just any group.

A nuclear family.

So one of them has an issue with theirs

even more so than the rest.

If the Alpha did this,

it's likely his family
lives in the area.

Why not go after them first?

Hanging around is dangerous.

The family could be out of town.

Maybe the gang's waiting for them.

That's not the only change here.

The unsubs usually take liquid assets...

Cash, electronics.

But here, they took nothing.

It seems our gang's becoming unglued

faster than we predicted.

Ok. Get the good beer.

And no menthols this time.

Yeah, sure thing.

You, too, girls. I need a
minute alone with my boy.

Sorry about before.

My head just got all messed up.

You know?

I mean, look at this shirt.

Ruined.

Yeah, that's a good shirt.

It's my favorite.

I don't know, man.

Like we have fun.

We take stuff.

And that's cool, 'cause, whatever,

they're rich. They can always buy more.

This murder.

It ain't the plan.

Plans change.

Like I said, we gotta stick together.

All right, I mean, think about Kay.

She sees that you're strong,
she's gonna stay strong, too.

Yeah.

There, that's my boy. Come here.

I could use another taste.
How about you?

For sure, man. For sure.

All right, you first.

You've gone soft.

That ain't good for the others.

Come on, on your knees.

Now.

Forgot my...

Yeah, it's the same caliber gun.

And with this motel centrally located

to the crime scenes,
he must be one of ours.

As predicted, they finally
turned on their own.

Guy's big. Could have been the muscle.

That blood on his shirt
could be from the Vendls.

Ok, I've got a Texas driver's license.

Kevin Jones.

Germ. Interesting nickname.

Well, it's a recent photo.
Likely our gang.

It's too bad their faces aren't clearer.

Desk clerk says a guy
paid cash for the room,

but it wasn't the victim.

The others must have hid.

She said she saw a green van
peel out of here around 1 a.m.

Did the clerk get a make and model?

Unfortunately not.

She thought maybe mid-'70s,

but she just didn't think
much of it at the time.

Garcia.

What's cracking, crime-fighters?

We found a Texas driver's license

of our latest victim,

Kevin Jones,

date of birth December 18, 1991.

I texted it to you, but
it they wanted to keep low,

it could be a fake.

The word "Germ" is
branded on his wallet.

It could be a nickname.

Naughty, naughty. That I.D.'s a fake.

Commencing facial recognition software

for a definitive match.

We're almost there. You want to cool it.

Whoo! Yeah! Ha ha ha!

Germ's real name is...

Michael Sale.

He is the second of 3 boys.

He grew up in a small farming town

outside of Dubuque.

Really poor.

His dad died when he was 16,

then his mother drank
herself to death soon after.

Those boys raised themselves.

Oh, that's so hard.

So of course they each got
in their own kind of trouble.

Michael just barely
graduated high school,

and then he went to work
in a local fast food joint.

For how long?

8 months. No job history after that.

He did a brief stint in Texas

for misdemeanor drug possession.

Ex-con. Explains their
carefulness with their prints.

Does he own a green van?

Mm, no he does not.

Search Michael's associates.

Cross-check that with green van owners

in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma,

California, Texas, and New Mexico.

Uh, make, model, and
year, please and thank you.

Wishful thinking...
Van is roughly 40 years old.

Then this is not gonna take a shovel,

this is gonna take a backhoe.
Give me a steaming hot second.

Where's Germ?

I told you. He bolted.

He didn't say where.

He wouldn't leave and not tell me.

Next house is yours, Kay.

No screw-ups this time, you hear?

Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Texas,

California, New Mexico,
Oklahoma all coming up zilch

regarding Michael/Germ and a green van.

All right, try, uh,
Louisiana and Arkansas.

Look at you, newbie McNewberson,

with another good call.

The aged green van belongs
to Ezekiel Reginald Daniels,

28, born in Arkansas,

never had a dad, mom was an addict,

only child who was raised

by variously abusive family members.

Alvez, set up a city
and statewide APB on that van.

Where'd they meet?

Oh, you know, where people
meet people... in jail.

Ok, Garcia, this may be a long throw,

but are there any
similar robberies nearby

dating back to immediately
after their release?

Oh... That's not a long
throw at all, lovey.

That's a very short and accurate toss.

Good arm.

I have them pegged
for a similar burglary

late last year in Lawton, Oklahoma.

And then another in Beaumont, Texas.

And one after that in Newnan, Georgia.

That's a suburb of Atlanta.
But that one was two weeks ago.

They're experienced, like we thought.

Crossing state lines
made their serial crimes

appear as one-offs.

Were any of them home invasions?

No. They cleared the place up
before the owners arrived back home.

I'll stay behind, wait
for the coroner to arrive.

Thanks, Garcia.

I just don't feel
right, not without Germ.

He made his choice.

Sorry to bother you, Mrs. Adams.

Did I leave my sweater here last week?

I don't believe so, but if
you'd like to come in and...

Aah!

Uhh!

Thanks, Prentiss.

The unsubs were headed east
across Georgia two weeks ago

but something triggered them to
change directions, heading west.

Whatever the reason, that
likely affected the Alpha most.

Problem is, our presumed
Alpha has no ties here.

Nothing in his history
suggests he could lead a gang.

And based on his precursor crime,

it would have been difficult
to predict a sharp escalation

to this level of violence.

Then he was manipulated into it.

In fact, he may not even realize it.

And if he's not the Alpha,

the next likely option is the muscle,

but he's our latest victim,

so it has to be one of the women.

The question now is, which one?

Uhh! Uhh!

Stop it!

Uhh!

Ohh... Honey?

Get over here.

Come on!

On your knees.

Damn it.

I'm in charge.

You don't have the guts.

Let's find out.

Put it down.

Now.

No!

You.

Sorry.

Things got out of control.

Ohh!

Girl's gotta know when to cut bait.

Ohh!

Mom...

Dad.

I'm home.

Garcia, the real Alpha
is one of the women.

She's from the area.
Probably comes from money.

She's likely a user, which means

she might have had and accidental
overdose or been injured.

So start with
hospital records, then.

Last month, Ezekiel Daniels
was the emergency contact

for a Bethany Elise
Adams, 21, from Escondido,

which is another
wealthy San Diego suburb.

Ok, so she spent the night in
a Jackson, Mississippi, hospital

due to an accidental oxy overdose.

And just 'cause a
girl's not been arrested

don't mean she's never
gotten in trouble.

This Bethany chick, she has pinballed

all over the San Diego
prep school scene.

I mean, from kindergarten
until 12th grade

she was in 5 different schools.

Expelled from each
one of them, I presume?

Uh-huh. But each time she got expelled,

she would consistently get
admitted into a new school

because her parents would make
a hefty financial contribution

to the new school.

What are they like?

They're maddeningly, maddeningly normal.

And according all things
Michelle and Paul Adams,

they're loving, indulgent parents.

She has a younger sister Kendra,

who works at the
family's real estate firm.

Oh, sweet Christmas.

Ok, the dad just recently updated

his Facebook family picture.

It's him, his wife,
and the daughter Kendra.

No sign of Bethany, not even a shoutout.

So Bethany's been cut
out of the perfect family.

It explains why she attacked that photo.

By and by, little sister was promoted
to junior assistant two weeks ago.

Right before the first kill.

So if this was all about the parents,

why not go after them right away?

Oh, I know. Because Mom and Dad

have been away at a work conference.

They arrived home early this morning.

If Bethany knew that,
then she's already there.

Ok, guys, you head over there,
I'll coordinate from here.

We can still get out of this.

You killed Zeke in self-defense.

- It wasn't your fault.
- Bethany...

- Shut up!
- Bea, sweetie...

Shut up!

You're done talking.

Run.

Aah!

Drop it.

You will not screw this up for me.

Bea, stop!

Shut up! Stop moving. Stop moving.

Stop moving. Stop!

Drop it.

Oh, you little...

Let her go.

You will not screw this up!

We'll take the side door.

Have your men posted near the
front and go on our command.

Go! Go, go, go, go!

You get the front!
We'll move around back!

All right, go on up.

Bea, sweetheart...

Shut up!

Don't do it. Don't. Please don't.

Please!

What did my dad say?

Please don't.

Stop! You will not screw this up!

Please let me go. Please.

Bethany, please.

Shut up!

- Sweetie...
- Shut up!

- Sweetie...
- Shut up!

Drop the gun!

On your back. On your back.

All right, we need a medic now!

Another one over here.

Got a gunshot wound to the abdomen.

We need two medics inside.

Aah ha ha ha ha ha!

Aaahhhh!

Aaahhh!

"A gang is where
a coward goes to hide."

Mickey Mantle.

You did great in San Diego.

I'm glad you trusted your gut.

Thank you for listening.

I've been on teams where opinions,

especially new ones,
aren't always valued.

That's the nice thing about this group.

Everybody has a voice.

Anything new on Mr. Scratch?

I got eyes and ears everywhere,

but it's been quiet.

That's not surprising, considering what
he's put us through recently.

He waited over 20 years
to attack his first victims

and another year-plus
to go after the team.

The guy is patient.

Smarter men than Scratch have
tried to take down this team before

and they're all in prison.

We're pretty good at this.

I've noticed.

Look, the fundamentals here
are similar to B.A.P.

Recognize the patterns, find the mark,

take 'em down, move on to the next one.

And there's always a next one.

Still, the BAU is a nice change of pace.

But you don't miss all
that international travel.

No, I don't.

It's like in music.

Sometimes you don't pick the instrument,

the instrument picks you.

Ok.

I'll let you get back to it, then.