"Sentenced To Death" is a case appearing in Criminal Case: Justice Department. It is the fifth case in Sycamore Grove and the forty-seventh overall.
Plot
Continuing from the previous case’s additional investigation. Elliot Rothman received a call from media mogul Gavin Van Ness regarding the hacker who threatened to destroy Nebula Enterprises and plan to override the banking system of Van Ness Finances. Gavin instructed the police to meet him in his private estate. Additionally, he requested to the police for him to be placed in police protection program overseas to prevent any attacks against him. The team set aside their quest in tracing the Devil's Venom poison.
However, upon the player and Lt. Tara Wong's arrival, they discovered Gavin’s dead body sprawled in his estate’s front lawn, with a gaping hole in his chest. They meet Gavin's wife, Janet Van Ness, who became frantic upon discovering her husband's dead body. Lt. Wong suggested to search the estate much further while she tries to calm Janet down.
In the lounge room, they find a Nebula access badge in the victim's blazer, flagging David Rothman as a suspect. Gavin's brother, Jarvis Van Ness, was also ruled as a suspect when a Van Ness Finances funding reward was found in Gavin's suitcase. The police find the gun display cabinet and forensics analyst Candy Orson deduced that the killer drank cappuccino coffee.
According to the autopsy results, Dr. Graham Fraser concluded that Gavin’s cause of death was a shotgun blast to the chest, obliterating his heart. However, Gavin was actually shot from a high ground, as indicated by the post-mortem broken bones. The shotgun blast’s strength is so strong that it caused Gavin to topple over the balcony and fall in to his front lawn. With the distance and force calculated, Dr. Fraser and weapons expert Travis Nash indicated that the killer is a marksman.
The team encounters Jarvis once again when he reported harassment against Acropolis Scroll executive Elias Cartwright due to excessive and offensive questioning. An envelope was found in Gavin's office, it contained a torn photo of Gavin and Janet in their honeymoon, Janet angrily stated that she found out that Gavin was trying to run away (with Lt. Wong stating that she was allowed to come with him in witness protection program). A torn certificate was found in the victim's office, with David Rothman admitting that he tore it because Gavin had been badmouthing Nebula Enterprises. Surfer Crystal Rivers was listed as a suspect when a seashell necklace was found in Gavin's mail box. The player and Lt. Wong found a shell casing on the fountain feature, with the result of profiling the killer to be using skin moisturiser (per Travis and Candy).
Sgt. Bertie Summers reported a break-in in Gavin's office, where they found a shark tooth that belonged to Crystal and a drawer that contained a file that has records of anonymous threatening letters. Crystal admitted that she was angry at Gavin for rejecting her and firing her as an intern. The writer of the threatening letters and the trespasser was revealed to be Elias, he was ambitious to take over as the chairman of Acropolis Scroll, taking Gavin's place. The player found Gavin's laptop in his office safe and found threatening messages from Jarvis, who claims that Gavin had been peeking through confidential transactions between Van Ness Finances and wealthy businesses. Finally, the player found the murder weapon — a shotgun hidden in the balcony and a strange object which was later revealed as an earring segment by archivist Stefan Martin.
In the denouement, the killer was unmasked to be Janet Van Ness, the victim’s wife. At first, Janet denied the accusations held against her by the police. However, after presenting the evidence, Janet broke down and confessed. Janet admitted that she killed her husband because she could not take his dangerous antics as a journalist anymore, stating that Gavin's involvement with the police gave him more enemies made her nervous, up to the point she can't sleep at night. Janet also claimed that she could not divorce Gavin due to their conjoined account and Jarvis' assigned prenuptial agreement, if she was to divorce Gavin, she would lose everything. Janet was then shipped to Judge Chandler’s court, where she pleaded guilty and the judge giving her a thirty-year jail sentence.
The additional investigation is initiated when Elliot and David Rothman requested the player about the dangerous virus that is threatening to obstruct the growth of Nebula Enterprises. Lt. Eric Wayne and the player also investigate the trail for the Devil's Venom poison, they find out that Crystal Rivers has a copy of the poison's recipe. Crystal claimed that she was creating an anti-toxin to protect herself from the poison. Elliot and the player have finally discovered the virus' location – it was planted in a Nebula supercomputer by Jake Eldridge. The team attempt to arrest Jake, but he cleared out his apartment and fled. Dr. Fraser was in a state of panic as the last ingredient of the poison was revealed to be extinct, leaving the antidote incomplete. Things turn for the worse when officer Bertie Summers reported that there was a major panic in a nearby restaurant.
Summary
Victim
- Gavin Van Ness (found dead in his front lawn)
Murder Weapon
- Shotgun
Killer
- Janet Van Ness
Suspects
- Jarvis Van Ness – Victim's brother
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Age | 24 |
| Weight | 168 lbs |
| Height | 6'2" |
| Eyes | Brown |
| Blood | B+ |
Jarvis is a Caucasian man with short dark brown hair and brown eyes that are covered with black-framed glasses. He donned a black business suit with a red tie and a white collared business shirt that is light blue with black pinstripes, his blazer has a white handkerchief tucked in his left breast pocket. He also wears a silver ring on his right hand's pointing finger. Jarvis is known to drink cappuccino, uses skin moisturiser and is a marksman.
- David Rothman – Nebula representative
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Age | 21 |
| Weight | 165 lbs |
| Height | 5'5" |
| Eyes | Brown |
| Blood | AB+ |
David is a Mexican-American man with short, wavy black hair and brown eyes. He has a mole above his upper lip on the left side. In his appearance, he wears a black business shirt and blazer with a red tie. He wears a golden ring on his right little finger. It is known that David drinks cappuccino, uses skin moisturiser and is a skilled marksman.
- Janet Van Ness – Victim's wife
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Age | 27 |
| Weight | 120 lbs |
| Height | 5'1" |
| Eyes | Brown |
| Blood | A- |
Janet is a Caucasian woman with shoulder-length brunette hair with brown eyes and wears red lipstick. She wears a white turtleneck sweater that is covered by a mauve cardigan and a black scarf with a red Tudor rose pinned to it. Her ears are adorned with golden hooped earrings. It is known that Janet drinks cappuccino, uses skin moisturiser and is a marksman.
- Crystal Rivers – Acropolis Scroll intern
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Age | 22 |
| Weight | 130 lbs |
| Height | 5'1" |
| Eyes | Brown |
| Blood | O+ |
Crystal is an Asian-American woman with shoulder-length brown hair with blue gradient on the end. She wears a neon pink singlet and is adorned with golden triangle earrings and a necklace with three shark's teeth. In her appearance in this case, it was known that Crystal uses skin moisturiser.
- Elias Cartwright – Acropolis Scroll executive
| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Age | 24 |
| Weight | 170 lbs |
| Height | 6'0" |
| Eyes | Grey |
| Blood | B+ |
Elias is an American man with slightly tanned skin, dark blond messy hair and grey eyes that is covered by a pair of glasses. He sported a tan blazer over a navy blue shirt. It was revealed that Elias drank cappuccino and is a marksman.
Killer's Profiles
- The killer drinks capuccino
- The killer uses skin moisturiser
- The killer is a marksman
- The killer wears black
- The killer wears earrings
Crime Scenes
| Primary Crime Scenes | Secondary Crime Scenes |
|---|---|
| Estate Lawn | Water Feature |
| Lounge Room | Balcony |
| Victim's Office | Sitting Area |
Steps
Chapter 1
[Soon to be added]
Chapter 2
[Soon to be added]
Chapter 3
[Soon to be added]
Additional Investigation
[Soon to be added]
Notes
- The title of the case refers to the victim's occupation – Gavin is a media magnate and the CEO of Acropolis Scroll, Acropolis' main media network. Gavin is also a journalist who helped the police, hence his sentences regarding the crimes committed led him to his death.
- However, in the revelation, Gavin's murder was committed by his wife because she did not want to be in the midst of danger, which is caused by Gavin's position as a journalist.