Secure:Conleth's Death
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Contents |
News Briefings
LAWYER, FAMILY KILLED IN CAR BOMBING
Three people were killed outside their Richmond upon Thames home early Sunday morning when their vehicle exploded. Conleth Morton, 28, was a partner at the legal firm of Conleth and Beatty. Also killed in the blast were his wife Aspen Morton-Monroe, 27, and his young son Percy, 2. The explosion appears to have been caused by sabotage. Police did not comment on whether the bombing was related to the investigation into Mr. Morton's possible involvement in a series of active evidence tampering cases.
Opening Investigations
Conleth Investigation
Red uses his authority in Repliforce to get into the Conleth death case (in response to a news brief). He wants to see the evidence the police collected and he would like to inspect it himself.
Response
Red's authority in Repliforce does exactly jack in terms of influencing a criminal investigation. However, if he asks nicely, his STARS contacts will make phone calls on his behalf to let him review the evidence around the bombing under the flimsy auspices of it potentially being Maverick-related. (Don't push real hard on that.)
The vehicle itself has been isolated and is being combed over by crime scene investigators. They have apparently found some forensic traces on the engine compartment that may be useful, though they're still at the crime lab being analyzed. The car appeared to be blown up by planting an explosive device on its fuel cells, activated by the vehicle going through its startup sequence. It appears to be a black market explosive acquired from military surplus -- likely an old Wily munition, as the market is flooded with them.
The victims themselves have been autopsied. The cause of death was the explosion and not some earlier trauma. They were probably on their way to church that morning. Conleth triggered the device when he started the car. A small consolation is that their deaths were probably almost instantaneous. They never saw it coming.
There's a suspect in the case they believe is responsible for the bombing, and they're hoping that eyewitness testimony and some fragmented security footage from across the area will allow them to make a strong enough case to get a warrant on the guy. The real key to the case will be being able to link him to the bomb itself, which they're presently working on. They won't say who it is, but you gather this was someone with some previous tie to Conleth. They are /very/ tight-lipped about it, meaning it's likely someone they tried to catch before but couldn't lock in. Yakuza or some organized crime figure, the STARS people believe.
Looking Deeper
After finding out the information Red acquired from his buddies in STARS (great guys, really he leaves them a few tips and I.O.Us for their troubles), Red begins to tap into his old fences back in his Hex Zone days. He knows that Maddy was pretty ticked about the sex scadal videos back in the Cambridge days, and he just has a hunch about her.
Red starts to look through bounties, trying to see if anyone put out a public hit for Conleth. Red does not expect much, but he's looking for traces of Maddy or anyone affiliated with her. Red is vaguely aware of the relationship between Maddy and Daryn, but that's all he knows about.
The bombing reeks too much of an act of revenge rather than a terrorist attack.
Response
The STARS guys appreciate your patronage, though find your interest in the case kind of puzzling. To them, it seems like a fairly routine murder caused by a defense lawyer crossing the wrong client.
There's been no bounties on Conleth Morton. Red can go as deep and as wide as he can, but there's never been any interest in putting a price on his head. Red may even encounter people in the underground who have evaded jail time because of Conleth's work, and will speak highly of him. The case against him, in the eyes of these people, was a raw deal. Conleth didn't need to roll that way, they'll tell you. He was just /good/.
But somebody was willing to kill this guy and his family. The police have some kind of lead. It probably goes back to the cloud he was under. Maybe someone was worried about being caught.
Investigation into character/situation of Conleth and his wife
Conleth (C-o-n-l-e-t-h) Morton has several friends and associates who have been flushed out of the woodwork by his untimely, violent end. This gives Masquerade the opportunity to troll various memorial services and wakes to learn more about him. With a little bit of luck and some polish, he can find out more details about the man he was.
Findings
Conleth was a hard-nosed defense lawyer; argumentative, strong-willed, loud-mouthed and belligerent. Even his friends often comment on how obnoxious he could be when he felt he was being mistreated. He was a horrible tipper and loved arguing with people because he usually won; he'd wear down his opponents like grinding down a stone by sheer endurance. Conleth was /very/ good at what he did, and was in demand. His peers spoke highly of his ability.
Conleth's wife was young and pretty. She was a tennis pro at a country club Conleth was a member of. She was well-liked and polite, and was good at making people feel comfortable. She was a soft-spoken woman who had become very focused on child-rearing after the birth of her son.
The investigation Conleth was under raises numerous possibilities as to who may have wanted to kill him. Any number of criminals, fearing that Conleth would turn against them in exchange for a lighter sentence, could have either done the deed themselves or have been willing to hire someone to do it for them. The list is very long. No mention of any worrisome hackers, though -- Conleth rarely took cases that required a large amount of technical expertise, focusing instead on producing meaty rhetoric he could use to batter down the prosecution.
Summary
- Conleth had no idea this was coming. It's a possbility that this was the work of Mavericks (not likely, however)
- UN has a suspect, but they aren't talking. (Red believes it to be Maddy considering the sex scandal video and how she somehow got someone to go on a deleting spree)
- Conleth's personality may have made him many enemies without him realising.
- Conleth's wife likely not a factor.
- Many criminals may have been afraid Conleth 'knew too much' about them and some of them would have known how.
