Father Aengus Donovan was a suspect in the murder investigations of Lieutenant General Frank Vogel in Welcome to Concordia! (Case #1 of Mysteries of the Past) and businessman Maximillian Poe in Shear Murder (Case #5 of Mysteries of the Past). He was then murdered in In the Name of the Father (Case #6 of Mysteries of the Past).
Profile
Father Donovan was a 54-year-old Irish priest. He was bald and had gray mutton chops. He usually donned a black robe and carried prayer beads.
As per his first appearance, Father Donovan read the Concordian Gazette.
As per his second appearance, he knew calligraphy and rode hansom cabs.
| Height | 5'9" |
|---|---|
| Age | 54 |
| Weight | 173 lbs |
| Eyes | brown |
| Blood | B+ |
Events of Criminal Case
Welcome to Concordia!
Father Donovan became a suspect after he showed up at the crime scene and identified the victim. He said he mostly knew the victim professionally, since as a priest it was his job to ensure the well-being of new Irish immigrants. He was on his way to welcome the latest arrivals, but that was when he bumped into Maddie and the player.
Father Donovan was spoken to again about his pendant being found broken on Main Street. He explained that it got broken when he got into an argument with the victim. It occurred because Father Donovan had issues with how the victim ran the immigration center, not caring for the immigrants or their well-being. However, Father Donovan felt it was the last straw when he was refused to read the last rites of a dying woman by the victim because it was "against protocol". Maddie pointed how he had a huge problem with how the victim ran his job, and Father Donovan did nothing to deny that.
Father Donovan was found to be innocent after the team incarcerated Nellie Mortimer for Frank's murder. But he was spoken to again by the player and Charles about finding Harriet Patrick's cousin Mary. The notebook they found was his personal one which he complied the info on all the immigrants he welcomed into the city. When asked if he knew Mary, he said the name sounded familiar but needed to consult his records, and would inform them if he finds anything.
Shear Murder
Donovan became a suspect once again after he showed up at the Flying Squad's headquarters saying he killed Max. However, he was unaware that he was murdered and just believed he failed in helping Max, who took his own life in despair. The victim had been seeking his counsel since the death of his wife, but Max showed no signs of improvement which worried Donovan. Though it did turn out it was murder, Donovan said that at Max could finally be in peace in the afterlife with his wife. Since the victim frequented the church, Isaac felt it would be a good idea to search the church for more evidence.
Donovan was spoken to again about a message he received from the victim saying he knew what Donovan had done. He explained the victim had approached him one afternoon, saying he had heard rumors about his past and that he was somehow involved in criminal activity. But Donovan refused to say what it was, saying the past was the past and it was only business between him and God.
Donovan was found innocent again after the team incarcerated Sheila Black for Max's murder. But Isaac and the player had to continue investigating him to discover what Max had found out about him. After investigating the church, they found a photo of him in jail; according to Evie, Donovan was in prison for murder. But the evidence and his criminal record happened to be destroyed in the evidence room fire. When confronted, Donovan explained he was young, had a bad mouth and temper, and one day just went too far. While in prison, he claimed to have found the Lord, and though being a priest would not make up for what he did, he felt helping others was all he could do. But he had no idea about where the picture they found came from, saying he just came across it on the church doorstep. Isaac made sure to inform him the Flying Squad would be keeping a close eye on him.
Murder details
Donovan's body was found in the railway tracks, sliced in two by a train. However, Maddie spotted a gunshot in Donovan's chest, thus believing the incident to be a murder instead of a train accident. Dick determined that Donovan died when the bullet pierced his heart. Furthermore, he deduced that Donovan was shot at three o'clock during dawn. Although he did not find any lead in the body, Dick deduced that the killer was a marksman given the precision of the shot despite him being shot from faraway.
In the immigrants' pension, the team found an Ivory Johnson revolver. Per Rose, the revolver was the murder weapon since its bullets matched the hole in Donovan's body. Furthermore, the revolver was the same that had been used to kill Otis Kidd in a previous case. Viola also found traces of hair pomade in the handle, which meant that the killer used hair pomade.
Relationship with suspects
Father Donovan often visited the Irish immigrants to provide his services, one of which was Seamus O'Neill, who was angry at Donovan as he believed that he had deliberately sent him to work for an abusive employer. On the other hand, barber Gladys Perrin claimed that Donovan had saved her from a life of prostitution and was eternally grateful to him.
Donovan was revealed to have taken money from the evidence clerk for the Concordian Police Department, Edward Whimple. Despite Edward thinking that the money was a loan, Donovan viewed the money as a donation and refused to pay him back. Donovan was also revealed to be the killer of Italian gangster Giovanni Costa, Vinnie Costa's father. Moreover, it was discovered that the gun that had killed Donovan had been taken out of evidence by Commissioner Talmadge Baldwin.
Killer and motives
The killer turned out to be Edward.
The duo caught Officer Whimple trying to flee in the train station. After admitting to the murder, Officer Whimple admitted that he sold Irish immigrants to wealthy people in need of cheap labor. However, Father Donovan found out about the scheme, so Whimple shot him to silence him. In court, it was discovered that Whimple was the one who paid Rowdy Rick to threaten John Koll to burn the evidence room. Judge Takakura sentenced Whimple to life in jail.
Trivia
- Father Donovan is one of the characters to appear as a suspect in two cases.
- Father Donovan is one of the characters who make an appearance in the second-to-last case of a district as a suspect, only to be murdered in the very district's finale.
Case appearances
- Welcome to Concordia! (Case #1 of Mysteries of the Past)
- Slash and Burn (Case #2 of Mysteries of the Past; mentioned)
- In the Line of Fire (Case #3 of Mysteries of the Past; mentioned)
- A Murder Carol (Case #4 of Mysteries of the Past; mentioned)
- Shear Murder (Case #5 of Mysteries of the Past)
- In the Name of the Father (Case #6 of Mysteries of the Past)
- Eyes Wide Shut (Case #20 of Mysteries of the Past; mentioned)
- Blood Bath (Case #29 of Mysteries of the Past; mentioned)
Gallery
