Linda Cortez (CSI: NY)

Linda Cortez (Alexandra Barreto) is a villainess from "Trapped," episode 2.11 of CSI: NY (airdate December 14, 2005). She is the housekeeper for wealty recluse Hunter Hudson, who was found dead in his panic room.
Linda was established as Hunter's favorite employee, as she was set to gain a huge inheritance in the event of Hunter's death. It was revealed that Linda had a smoking habit, and she stated that she visited Hunter's therapist, Dr. Lyle Penn, to help her kick her habit. Penn used hypnosis in his methods with both Hunter and Linda, but as the episode later revealed, Linda's sessions with Penn were not because of her smoking--she was really looking to learn Penn's hypnotic methods.
Tired of Hunter's controlling demeanor, as well as wanting to get her hands on her inheritance, Linda planned to hypnotize Hunter into killing himself. She colluded with Jerry Gordon, who built the panic room, in the scheme, and on the day in question, the evil Linda entered the room and worked her hypnotic abilities on Hunter. The villainess gave Hunter a knife to use on himself, and ordered him to cut his throat. When Hunter began to hesitate, Jerry appeared and forced the knife on Hunter, cutting his throat and killing him. 
Linda masked her villainous persona during her interviews with Don Flack and Stella Bonasera, as she referred to Hunter as a friend who she adored, but her role was revealed when the duo found Linda's outfit in the washer, as Hunter's blood was on it. Flack interrogated Linda, who kept quiet regarding her role, but she and Jerry were both revealed when the latter called the former while Danny Messer was trapped in the panic room. Linda ended up arrested (off-screen) for her role in Hunter's murder.
==Gallery==
Evil Linda Cortez.png|Linda hypnotizing Hunter Hudson
Linda Cortez Reveal.png|Linda's interrogation and reveal
Category:2000s
Category:Brunette
Category:Callous
Category:Conspirator
Category:Deceiver
Category:Greedy
Category:Hero's Friend
Category:Hypnosis
Category:Knife
Category:Live Action Villainess
Category:Maid
Category:Murder: Indirect
Category:Murderer
Category:Villainous Reveal
Category:Fate: Arrested