Leda Callisto

 "I lost my father because Benedetti's daughter was a crack addict, and papa was covering up for baby. My father took the fall for that poor little rich junkie. (Catherine: "And that's why you killed her?") I don't remember saying I killed her. I will point out that the scales of justice have achieve a certain ironic balance--I lost my father, Benedetti lost his daughter." (Leda confessing to killing Sophia Benedetti to avenge her father)

Leda Swan is a pharamcist who played a large role in the 2003 CSI:Crime Scene Investigation video game. 

Biography

Leda first appears in the fourth investigation: More Fun than a Barrel of Corpses where the LVPD receieves a strange call in their crime lab that leads to the discovery of a female body. The woman is identified as Sophia Bennedetti, the daughter of a wealthy casino owner with a lot of influence in Los Vegas. Leda was working at the pharmacy until she was questioned by CSI Warrick Brown and a player when the coroner discovered that Leda was poisoned by Maxamine, an experimental cancer drug that was used. Leda revealed that Dr. Edward Wilkinson, who allegedly had an affair with Sophia prior to her death, ordered the Maxamine. The CSI then find evidence in Wilkinson's truck that Sophia was having the affair with the doctor. Leda murdered Sophia: she gave Sophia a pack of tissues laced with Maxamine to kill her. Sophia later used one of the tainted tissues while at a garden and succumbed to the poison, and after she died, Leda loaded the body into the back of Wilkinson's truck and drove to the Monaco Casino, where she stored her body in a barrel at the casino's loading dock after placing a pair of poker chips in Sophia's mouth. Leda cooperated by volunteering a DNA sample, with her hair matching a hair she left behind on the poisoned tissues, revealing her as Sophia's killer. Leda was then arrested by the LVPD.

In Leda's Swan Song, Leda kidnapped CSI Gil Grissom. Leda mocked the LVPD by making cryptic remarks regarding Grissom, with her having destroyed her fingerprints. When questioned by Catherine Willows and the player in her cell, the Leda continued to avoid answering to what she'd done to Grissom and why she'd murdered Sophia, sarcastically stating she respected the CSI squad too much to do so and boasting of how she enjoyed thinking about how desperate the team was to locate Grissom. Upon further investigation, the CSI team discovered Leda's maiden name to be Murphy as well as her involvement in the murder of a Los Vegas showgirl named Karen "Kylie" Yardstrum; the first case of the game and a murder that was initially believed to be committed by Devon Rodgers, Karen's boyfriend. A homemade medicinal cream found in Leda's apartment was found on the bedsheet used to strangle Karen, which ultimately proved that Leda had murdered her, entering her hotel room through the fire escape after she was done having sex with Devin before strangling her with her makeshift weapon, tying up her corpse afterwards and placing money in her mouth in accordance to ancient Greek mythology of placing money in the mouth of the dead to pay the ferryman taking the body to be buried. The evidence also showed that Leda had also abducted Grissom, luring him to the garden and distracting him with the carnivorous bugs before chlorofoming him and taking him someplace else. 

The CSI team discover Leda's motivation for her crimes, Leda Murphy was out for personal revenge: Leda's father, Bernard Murphy, was a CSI member that was dismissed years ago for violating police protocol by breaking evidentiary collection procedures in a drug raid case involving Sophia Benedetti. Using his mob connections, Sophia's father Carlo had the evidence tampered and manipulated the justice system into blaming Murphy for it at random. She went on to blast the CSI unit for being (in her mind) incompetent and claimed her father was set up as a scapegoat when Carlo paid off the CSI unit to help his daughter walk, while also accusing Grissom of doing nothing to help Bernard and of not caring about people. As for killing Karen, Leda revealed that her father's depression drove him to sleep with her, referring to her as a "showgirl slut" and remarking how she felt her actions had put justice in order.

Leda was unaware of this, but Grissom suspected that Murphy was framed and made an effort to prove Murphy's innocence. Unfortunately, Sophia had her father bury that report. Leda then  accused the CSIs of trying to manipulate her and continued to boast of how her father was a brilliant CSI, stating that if he were working the case, Grissom would be found. The player and Catherine Willows later rescued Grissom. 

Personality

Leda Swan is a victim as a result of Sophia Bennedetti, Carlo Bennedetti, and Karen Yardstrum's actions. Leda's father Bernard Murphy was a CSI dismissed a few years prior for breaking evidentiary collection procedures in a drug raid case involving Sophia Benedetti, with Grissom speaking as a procedural expert at Bernard's disciplinary hearing. When it was revealed that Bernard had committed suicide a week prior, Before Bernard died, Grissom suspected he was framed and tried to prove it in court only for Sophia to have her father dismiss the case. When Bernard was depressed upon being fired, he slept with Karen Yardstrum who later cut ties with Bernard after taking advantage of his depressed state. In a way, Leda was a victim of the selfish acts made against her father. 

Despite being a victim, Leda allowed the LVPD to wrongfully blame Devin Rodgers for murdering Karen Yardstrum when she actually did it. Despite completing her revenge, Leda refused to clear Devin of the crime she committed rather than him. Indicatig that Sophia Bennedetti, Carlo Bennedetti, and Karen Yardstrum have corrupted her even further. In her grief, Leda had lost faith in Grissom, her father's friend, believing that Grissom did nothing to help him. That was not entirely true, Grissom suspected that Bernard was being framed and made a report explaining the reasons. Unfortunately, Sophia learned of this and had her father use his influence to bury the report. Leda had lost all faith in Grissom which is why she refused to believe that he tried to help her father. Leda was also very overconfident in her grief. Nevertheless, Sophia Benedetti, Karen Yardstrum, and Carlo Benedetti were responsible for her actions. 

Not only does Leda have an interest in pharmaceuticals, she also has a passion for Greek mythology: as discovered by the player, Leda was fascinated by the theory of gold coins being placed in the mouth of a deceased individual as payment for their soul. When Leda murdered Sophia Bennedetti and Karen Yardstrum, she put coins in their mouth. 

Abilities

• High Level Intellect/Expert Tactician: Leda Swan is a very intelligent woman as she was able to strangle Karen Yardstrum to death and manipulate the LVPD into blaming Devin Rodgers for her murder and poison Sophia Benedettii (Sohpia was unaware that Leda was the daughter of the man whose life she had destroyed) with large doses of Maxamine, an experimental cancer drug, by manipulating Sophia into consuming it. Knowing she would get caught, Sophia acted quickly to get revenge on Grissom by distracting Grissom with his fascination for carnivorous insects to kidnap him. Sophia even framed Dr. Wilkinson for a short amount of time while working to abduct Grissom. 
• Knowledge of Pharmaceuticals: Leda knows about certain drugs such as Maxamine. 
• Knowledge of Greek Mythology: Not only does Leda have an interest in pharmaceuticals, she also has a passion for Greek mythology: as discovered by the player, Leda was fascinated by the theory of gold coins being placed in the mouth of a deceased individual as payment for their soul. When Leda murdered Sophia Bennedetti and Karen Yardstrum, she put coins in their mouth. The player can find her books on Greek mythology in her apartment. 

Trivia

• Leda Callisto is the main villainess of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and in the CSI videogame franchiise. 
• Erin Karpluk, Leda's actor, also appeared in the Canadian television series, Republic of Doyle, as Dr. Wedgewood, who was also a pharamcist except that Wedgewood was heavily involved in the drug trade at St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador .