Tim Speedle

Template:TV-in-universe Template:CSI character Timothy "Tim Speed" Speedle (died September 20, 2004) was a fictional character on the television series CSI: Miami. He was portrayed by Rory Cochrane.

Characterization

Prior to the character's untimely demise and Rory Cochrane's departure from CSI: Miami at the start of season 3, "Speed" is distinguished in his occasional carelessness in procedure. Especially featured is his neglect of proper sidearm maintenance (episode 118, "Dispo Day"), which the scriptwriters exploited when they wrote him out of the series. He also, at one point, borrows Calleigh Duquesne's crime light and forgets to recharge it, much to her annoyance. Speedle's cavalier attitude also features in other ways, as well. He road his motor bike to work, and claims that he's happy with that rather than a standard automobile (episode 301, "Lost Son"). Speed had very low self-esteem, and never showed his feelings during a case. In Lost Son, he is working on a crime scene when he sees people who did not belong there in an official capacity. Going up around them, he confronts them; but due to his poor sidearm maintinance his gun does not work. The killers take advantage of this and kill him whilst he tries to make it work. Horatio finds him and catches him as he falls, attempting to save him; but by the time rescue arrives, he has already died.

Also showcased in the series is his role as best friend to Adam Rodriguez's Eric Delko. This facet of him is particularly evident in episode 604, "Bang, Bang, Your Debt," a full three years after Speedle's death (episode 301, "Lost Son"). Delko, still feeling the effects of a head injury suffered in "Man Down" (episode 514), suffers from vivid hallucinations of his deceased friend, which ultimately leads to the discovery that Audio-Visual Lab Technician Dan Cooper had stolen Speedle's credit card. This episode, especially with Speedle's appearance therein, illustrates the ongoing trauma of the violent death of a friend (in this case, Speed) on those who were close with that individual. When Cooper claims that, since Speed is dead, no one got hurt, Calleigh Duquesne angrily points out that Eric is hurt, and so is she, in particular, by the false hope the card charges (coupled with Delko's hallucinations) engendered.

Character biography

Tim Speedle was a Trace and Impressions expert with the Miami-Dade Crime Lab from Jamaica, Queens. Despite his skill as a CSI, Speedle was habitually neglectful of gun maintenance (episode 1-18, "Dispo Day"), which contributed to his death in episode 301, "Lost Son," when his side arm jammed during a shootout. While Speedle was distracted, a suspect fatally wounded him. He died moments later in Horatio Caine's arms. He had been close friends with colleague Eric Delko, and had been the one to 'welcome' him with a friendly hazing when he first joined the lab (episode 308, "Speed Kills"). Even after Speedle's death, Delko remains protective of his memory and reputation (episodes 306, "Hell Night;" 323, "Whacked"). Speed's void on the team is filled by former patrol officer Ryan Wolfe.

During a first-season episode, Speed and Delko, during a night of clubbing on the town, were caught in a devastating and deadly fire when the nightclub bouncer set the building alight in a twisted effort to be a hero. Speedle was instrumental in saving lives when he noticed an emergency-exit door ajar, and he guided many victims to safety. Despite the trauma of the blaze, he insisted on working the scene with the rest of his team (episode 122, Tinder Box) .

Three years after Speedle's death, his memory is still tender in the hearts and minds of his colleagues. They leave his locker and effects intact, intriguing those who came after his demise (episode 604, "Bang, Bang, Your Debt").