Motive Episode 3.05 The Suicide Tree

The murder of an armed robber leads the team to an unlikely killer - an unassuming florist. The team comes together to support Dr. Rogers.

The Victim: Lee Ward, an attempted armed robber.

The Killer: Ella Rollins, a quiet and unassuming florist.

The Discovery: The detectives head to the crime scene of an armed robbery went horribly wrong. They find the armored car security guard shot to death, but they also find Lee Ward, the shooter, and his body does not look wounded or injured in any form.

The Investigation: The detectives need to understand why Lee Ward dies to see if that uncovers any clues about the overall crime. Initially, Dr. Rogers discovers that Lee has a massive amount of Digoxin -- a heart medication that he has a prescription for -- in his blood. It looks like an accidental overdose, but as Dr. Rogers points out, it is uncommon for someone with a chronic condition to overdose on medicine that they take on a routine basis. The detectives all know that they are missing something major.

The Second Attack: One night when Dr. Rogers is working alone late at night in the morgue, she is attacked at knifepoint. This attack leaves her vulnerable, but Dr. Rogers becoming "evidence" herself gives her insight into new things to look for, which helps the detectives immensely.

The Love Triangle: Ella is married to Blair, but she's had an involvement with Lee, the victim. Ella and Blair are having financial issues and are at risk of losing their home, but Lee, who is wealthier, is ready to step in and support them. First, orders elaborate floral displays from Ella's shop, but then he gives Ella cash, which he had kept hidden in a secret refrigerator in his home.

The Crime: After her attack, Dr. Rogers runs some new investigations, and realizes that Lee has a lot of caffeine in his blood stream. This makes Angie wonder if his coffee had been poisoned. Dr. Rogers runs some tests and discovers that Lee is poisoned with seeds from a plant called the "suicide tree" -- and this plant has near identical chemical properties to the heart medication that they had found in a previous test.

The Double Interrogation: The detectives realize that Blair and Ella each have keys to what they need to understand the root of the crime. Angie starts to interrogate Ella, while Oscar takes Blair, and the detectives try to get them to sell each the other out and cut a deal. Seeing how much the two love each other, Angie realizes that they would never sell each other out, and needs to find a new tactic to get a confession.

On her way out of the interrogation room, Angie makes sure that Ella sees a lawyer leave a room, talking about getting a confession. Ella stops dead in her tracks to take the blame for killing Lee.

The Motive: Ella feels like she has to kill Lee to protect Blair. Blair desperately needs money because he is out of work and in debt, and it is impacting his family. Poisoning Lee allows Blair and Ella to get money they need. The plan is that he will die before the robbery, which will make everything look like a mistake, allowing Ella and Blair to walk away scot-free.