When the Department of Justice's website is hacked by Star Chamber, a hacker collective attempting to assert the innocence of their fellow member and death row inmate Sam Russell, the BAU delves into the murder case in which he was convicted of killing eight prostitutes. They question Sam in prison and he claims that the arresting officer fed him drugs to get him to confess to the crime. Sam's innocence seems more likely after the team is alerted to more prostitutes killed in a similar fashion as the previous eight. Garcia notes that the hacker of the website asked to meet with "The Black Queen", her former alias, and she realizes they are dealing with her old hacking mentor, Shane. She meets with Shane who confirms he took Sam's case file and refuses to return it until she gives him the BAU's profile of the killer in exchange for the file. The case file annotated by the Star Chamber leads them to the discovery that Sam's former hacking partner is also his killing partner and a member of the collective. The new killer was sneaking locks of hair from his victims to Sam in prison as assurance that their plan was still in motion. After realizing Sam's partner is attempting to frame Shane for the murders, the team tracks him down just as he is injecting Shane with lethal drugs. They are able to apprehend the killer and revive Shane to health. Throughout the case, Morgan helps Garcia come to terms with her past as a rebellious hacker under Shane's influence.
