David Hodges is a lab technician with a B.A. from Williams College; he previously worked in the Los Angeles County crime lab, where his superiors felt he had an attitude problem. Hodges's appearances provide some comic relief, though most of the team finds him obnoxious and irritating. Hodges's first appearance was in the episode, Recipe for Murder, and he became a regular cast member in the episode, Dead Doll.

He once got all the other lab techs to collaborate to try to solve The Miniature Killer case, and they discovered a key clue. In the episode You Kill Me, Hodges invented a board game and enlisted the assistance of his colleagues to assist him. It is also noted that Hodges has an uncanny sense of smell, and is able to identify many key chemical compounds by their scent alone. Hodges is a "momma's boy" who lives with his mother (up until the end of season 11), and invents stories to meet her expectations. In season 12's Malice in Wonderland Hodges and his mother are taken hostage and he finally stands up to her.