The Most Disturbing Criminal In CSI: Miami Season 5
With 10 seasons and over 200 episodes, "CSI: Miami" provides a rabbit hole of disturbing criminals and elaborate murders for anyone interested in jumping into the David Caruso-led series. Fans would be hard-pressed to pick the most disturbing or effective criminal that went head-to-head with Horatio Caine and his "CSI" team, as antagonist guest stars ranged from veteran actors like Tom Sizemore to Malcolm McDowell. In fact, even horror master Rob Zombie took a crack at infusing some darkness into the show for an episode behind the camera.
One of the most disturbing criminals the "CSI: Miami" team ever dealt with, though, came in Season 5 of the series, when the spinoff show was still a massive performer for CBS and pulled in over 15 million viewers every episode (via ABC Medianet). The most disturbing killer's story was concluded in a two-part storyline in Season 5, and it was arguably one of the times the "CSI: Miami" crew was most challenged, as they had a very personal stake in the case.
Clavo Cruz from Season 5 was most disturbing
The "CSI: Miami" Season 5 episode titled "Man Down" acts as the second part of a story that brings Clavo Cruz (Gonzalo Menendez) back into the Miami fold (via IMDb) after previously appearing in Season 2 and Season 3. When first introduced, Cruz and his brother are being investigated over the death of a model, but Horatio Caine and his crew run into trouble when it's revealed the two suspects benefit from immunity in the U.S. thanks to their father, General Antonio Cruz (Castulo Guerra).
"Man Down" opens with officer Eric Delko (Adam Rodriguez) being transported to the hospital after he's shot in the head by a man paid off by Cruz. Delko's fate hangs in the balance after the shooting, adding to the pressure as Caine hunts Cruz down — a man who goes on to shoot and kill the general he previously believed to be his father. In a disturbing turn of events, Cruz later ends his own life by confronting Caine with a gun outside the police station, forcing Caine to shoot and kill him.
Plenty of criminals came and went during "CSI: Miami," but Cruz's story played out over a stretch of episodes across multiple seasons, and ended in a way that inarguably left the team changed forever. The two episodes ending Cruz's story are the highest rated of the season on IMDb, and he remains one of Caine's most significant foes in "CSI: Miami."