Episode 1: Test Bench
The opening video shows two people: the murderer holding a statuette and the victim, on the ground, violently hit in the back of the head and bleeding.
August 3, 9:47 am. District Court, defendants room No. 2.
You will be in the company of Mia, your boss. It's your first trial and Phoenix Wright, the protagonist you relate to, is nervous. Your client is called Larry Butz, and apparently he's the only suspect in the case.
Then the data of the case will be exposed: a girl was killed in her apartment and the main suspect is the boy she was dating. This man is called Larry Butz and he's Phoenix's best friend since elementary school.
August 3, 10:00 am District Court, courtroom 2.
You will be asked a few simple questions by the judge, to verify your actual preparation, as this is your first case.
Question: "The name of the accused in this trial is ..."
Answer: Larry Burtz.
Question: "What was the victim's name?"
Answer: Cindy Stone. (Consult the procedural register to answer this question, find the icon at the top right).
Question: "What was the cause of death?"
Answer: The victim was hit with a heavy object.
At this point the process will begin. The murder weapon is the statue of "The Thinker" which was found on the ground next to the victim. Then the prosecution will call to testify the accused, Larry Burtz. Mr. Payne, the prosecutor, will accuse your client of killing the girl because she was cheating on him. Payne will later show the victim's passport which confirms Cindy's presence in Paris until the eve of her death. Step in when the prosecution asks Larry what he thinks of the victim, it is irrelevant to the trial. Encourage Larry to answer Payne's second question truthfully. So the prosecution will call another witness. He found the victim's body. His name is Frank Sahwit.
Then the witness proceeds with his deposition.
The phone in the victim's apartment didn't work because a blackout occurred at the time of the crime. The blackout log is then submitted to the attention of the court.
At this point, proceed with the cross-examination: indicate the contradictions in the testimony of the witness. Compare the procedural register with Sahwit's claims.
Objective on the first and ninth witnesses: they are patently false.
The witness will be forced to repeat his version on the time of the discovery. He was sure of that hour because he had heard it from a voice, perhaps coming from the television, but being that the time was three hours behind, the victim was probably watching a recorded program. And this is not possible because a blackout had hit the whole city and therefore could not have watched TV, much less a recorded program: follow him in the cross-examination by showing the blackout log!
Then the witness will have to give his testimony again. He will explain to the court that he did not hear the time, but read it from a clock in the house, which was used as a murder weapon. Not even this explanation is valid, in fact the murder weapon is the statue of "The Thinker", show it to the court in the cross-examination. Then Payne will illustrate the functions of the statue: the neck is a kind of button, just press it and a voice announces the time. So Mr. Sahwiz's testimony is very valid.
The judge, at this point, asks you if his testimony will still raise any doubts, answer him with a "yes". In fact, his testimony presents a big incongruity since the witness could not know that the weapon was a watch, unless he had it in his hand! But the witness said he never entered the apartment. The witness therefore knew that the statue was a clock because on the day of the crime it was in the apartment! To make your hypothesis credible, try ringing the clock.
The hearing is about to end, but Mia will come to your aid by encouraging you to calm down and focus. So answer yes when he asks if you can imagine why the clock was three hours behind. The proof is the passport! He will then be arrested and taken to jail and Larry Burtz will be officially found by the court not guilty!
August 3, 14:32 pm. District Court, defendants room No. 2
Mia will congratulate you on your excellent defense. Larry, despite winning, is still saddened by Cindy's death. Additionally, Larry will offer Mia a watch statue that matches the murder weapon. He had built two: one for him and one for Cindy. To cheer him up, show him the clock statue, the gift he had given her. Cindy took him with her on the trip, and that shows the affection she felt for Larry, despite betraying him. Your first case is therefore closed.
