Paula Mahler

Paula Mahler was the victim of Into the Woods (Case #83, or Case #27 of Pacific Bay).

Profile
At the time of her death, Paula was a tourist writer.

Murder Details
Paula was found in the lumber mill tied to an arbor saw, partially sliced in half. Frank Knight and the player registered the lumber mill saw as the murder weapon given that Paula's blood were stained in the saw blades. The player didn't hesitate to ship Paula's corpse to Roxie Sparks for autopsy.

After tedious hours of autopsy, a lot of things fascinated Roxie. The cutting stopped just above the victim's heart in which Paula's carotid artery was severed, in which Roxie suggested that the killer had a change of heart but they were too late to stop the process. Roxie couldn't help but notice how precise the rope constriction was as the knots found on the corpse were generally utilized to prevent people from seeking escape after being tied up. The knots suggested that the killer had expert knot making skills.

Killer and Motives
The killer turned out to be Ruthie Samson, director of tourism in Logan's Pass.

Ruthie told the authorities that Paula and herself were buddies, but when Frank told Ruthie that she matched the description of Paula's killer, she admitted to the murder. Ruthie was disappointed in Paula's lackluster coverage of Logan's Pass in the Pretty Planet Tour Guide Book and insisted on Paula's unconditional help to make Logan's Pass the next Aspen. Paula opted to remove Logan's Pass from the tour guide book, which went against Ruthie's orders all the way through. To make Paula pay for her insubordination, Ruthie suckered her into the timber mill by pretending to be Judd Tucker, the lumberjack who saved her life. Ruthie cornered Paula albeit she climbed into the saw table to get away from her. Paula lost traction, allowing Ruthie to tie her into submission, ignited the arbor saw, and sliced her like butter, doing the job. Frank heard enough so the player shipped Ruthie to court.

Ruthie told Judge Dante that Paula should've worked with Ruthie instead of against her during the tour guide creation as a justification for the murder but Judge Dante made it clear that there were non-violent ways to deal with such disappointment, and made clear that homicide was not a valid answer to what Ruthie experienced. As a result, Judge Dante issued a 25-year jail sentence (without parole) to Ruthie.

Case Appearances

 * Into the Woods (Case #83, or Case #27 of Pacific Bay)