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"The Saint"
CI, Episode 3.16
Production number: E4517
First aired: 14 March 2004
  th of 195 produced in CI  
th of 195 released in CI
  th of 1271 released in all  
Eames The Saint
Teleplay By
Marlane Gomard Meyer

Story By
Marlane Gomard Meyer & René Balcer

Directed By
Frank Prinzi

Detectives Goren and Eames investigate the murder of an elderly woman poisoned by an anonymous package.

Plot[]

Detectives Goren and Eames investigate the murder of an elderly woman who was killed by an ingenuous contraption made from lye and balloon.

As Goren and Eames look deeper into the victim's past, they discover a letter of correspondence detailing a fabrication of miracle that the victim allegedly experienced when she was teenager. The miracle was attributed to Brother Jerome, a 19th century healer. Then, they focus their attention on a crafty forger, whose expertise is needed by a local church to verify documents proving the sainthood of Brother Jerome and boost the reputation of Jerome Foundation. When the detectives investigate further, they believe the woman was killed to expose the fraud and tarnish Brother Jerome's miraculous quality, which would work as an act of revenge against the organization.

The finger of suspicion eventually points to a man capable of committing fraud, forgery and murder to discredit the organization that, according to him, took advantage of his mentally ill mother, impoverished his family, and ruined his childhood.

Cast[]

Main cast[]

Guest cast[]

References[]

Quotes[]

Alexandra Eames: If anyone needed a miracle... she worshiped a saint, and raised a sinner.
Robert Goren: The sinner raised himself.

Elizabeth Bennett: You are nothing but a common criminal!
Robert Goren: There's nothing common about your son. Or his crime.

Charlotte: I'm not praying to him any more. And neither are my dolls!

Background information and notes[]

  • This episode seems to be based on the Mark Hofmann case. Hofmann became infamous for forging numerous documents purported to be historical documents from the Mormon faith, although it wasn't just Mormon history that Hofmann fabricated. Widely regarded as one of the most accomplished forgers in history, Hofmann is especially noted for his creation of documents related to the history of the Latter Day Saint movement. When Hofmann's schemes began to unravel, he constructed bombs to murder two people in Salt Lake City, Utah. As of 2008, he is serving a life sentence at the Utah State Prison in Draper. Actor Stephen Colbert appears as James Bennett, the murdering forger based on Mark Hofmann. (Source: Mark William Hofmann at Wikipedia)
Previous episode:
"Shrink-Wrapped"
"The Saint"
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Season 3
Next episode:
"Conscience"
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