Deputy Mayor Sandra Hwang was a suspect in the murder investigations of police officer Edna Owens in Stick to Your Guns (Case #34 of Mysteries of the Past) and bank director Clarissa Rochester in Death Comes to Lunch (Case #37 of Mysteries of the Past), as well as making a minor appearance in Get Off Your High Horse (Case #40 of Mysteries of the Past). She was then murdered in The Heart of the Matter (Case #42 of Mysteries of the Past).
Profile
Sandra was the 41-year-old deputy mayor of Concordia. She had brown hair and wore a top hat with a maroon stripe, round glasses, and yellow earrings. She donned a black blazer with Concordia's crest on it over a white shirt with oil stains and a tie.
In her first appearance, it is known that Sandra read the Concordian Gazette.
In her second appearance, her clothes were missing the oil stains and it is discovered that she used hair pomade and had hay fever.
| Height | 5'4" |
|---|---|
| Age | 41 |
| Weight | 140 lbs |
| Eyes | brown |
| Blood | O- |
Events of Criminal Case
Stick to Your Guns
Sandra became a suspect after the player and Isaac found her outside the police armory where the raid took place. She showed up wondering what had happened, so Isaac told her about the heist and the subsequent murder that took place. But her concern was more with the stolen weapons, and told the team to put their priority to finding them instead of investigating the murder. But even then, Isaac said that finding murderers takes precedence, but also said they would keep an eye out for the stolen weapons.
Sandra was interrogated again about a message she sent to Mayor Castletown about cutting the police's funding. She said that it was not just the police's budget being cut; other things like healthcare and public transport were getting reduced funds. It made her mad more than anything that they suggested she was responsible for the raid happening.
Sandra was found to be innocent after the team incarcerated Wilbur Owens for Edna's murder. Later on, Chief Wright informed the team that Sandra would be giving a speech on the victim's death. It made Isaac surprised considering her behavior throughout the investigation, and hoped with her speech the police's morale would increase.
Death Comes to Lunch
Sandra became a suspect again after the player and Isaac found her decorative plate in the victim's flat. She explained that Clarissa had given her the plate, and was so touched that she accidentally dropped it. After being informed of Clarissa's murder, she realized how bad it would be for the Bank of Concordia and the Wolf Street Stock Exchange. She then left to alert the Mayor about the murder.
Sandra was spoken to again about the perfume she gave to the victim. She revealed that the perfume was an apology gift as she was unable to convince the councilors to use Clarissa's new book, Make a Killing in Shillings, for the university curriculum. As Clarissa took it badly, she gave her the perfume to make sure she wouldn't sabotage her career.
Sandra was found to be innocent a second time after the team incarcerated Francine for Clarissa's murder. Later on, the player and Isaac decided to inform her about the deal Vittorio Capecchi and Horatio Rochester had regarding the Concordian railway. After being presented with a picture of the two together, she dismissed their conjectures, claiming that she couldn't do anything until they had better proof that they were breaking the law.
Get Off Your High Horse
During the murder investigation of jockey Anna Jewell, Sandra climbed into the airship and ranted at the Squad for treating Princess Eliza Rheinberg of Splichtenstein as a suspect, wanting the royalty to have a good impression of Concordia. After Eliza was proven to be Anna's killer and her princess persona was discovered as a fiasco, Sandra reluctantly congratulated the team, along with Mayor Castletown.
Talk of the Town
Shortly after the closing of Joseph Pryor's murder investigation, Isaac informed the player that Sandra had been murdered.
Murder details
Sandra was found in her study strangled and with her heart missing. Per Dick, she was strangled to death with a rope made of soft fibers. The killer then had her heart removed, leaving traces of sangria in her chest cavity. Dick then deduced that the killer drank sangria.
Constable Ramirez alerted the team to a supposed bomb in the courtyard, which turned out to be the victim's beating heart. According to Charlie, the killer had set up a system of gears and small hammers in the heart to make it appear as though it were still beating. This led Charlie to conclude that the killer knew clockworks.
At the party, the team found a coil of rope, which (per Viola) had skin cells belonging to Sandra and the killer, confirming that it was the murder weapon. Viola found a tincture for scratches on the killer's skin cells, which meant that the killer had scratches.
Relationship with suspects
Archie Rochester hated Sandra because she had refused his designs of a clock tower (featuring his effigy). Larry Rochester also felt insulted that Sandra had offered him a municipal job. Horatio financially supported Sandra's re-election campaign, making her especially protective of the Rochesters. Party holder Elisa Melody had actually invited Mayor Castletown to the party, but Sandra had reminded him of a fishing trip so she could attend the party in his behest. During the party, Sandra constantly complained, irritating Elisa. The same night, Sandra's husband, Steven, had prepared an anniversary dinner for them and so was angered at Sandra's decision to attend Elisa's party instead. Steven also felt that Sandra's ambition was ruining their marriage.
Killer and motives
The killer turned out to be Larry.
After admitting to the murder, Larry said that Hwang was corrupt, distracting officials from investigating the Rochesters. However, upon Leopold Rochester's arrest, Sandra threatened to turn in Larry, who was the real mastermind behind the fake Concordia Telephone Company bonds. To stop her, Larry strangled her and took her heart out to delay the investigation. Judge Lawson sentenced him to 50 years in jail.
Trivia
- Sandra is one of the characters to appear as a suspect in two cases.
- Sandra is one of the characters to physically appear in two districts in Mysteries of the Past.
- Sandra is one of the characters who animate (or move) during at least one cutscene in the game.
- Sandra resembles American social reformer and women's rights activist Susan B. Anthony.
Case appearances
- Stick to Your Guns (Case #34 of Mysteries of the Past)
- Death Comes to Lunch (Case #37 of Mysteries of the Past)
- Get Off Your High Horse (Case #40 of Mysteries of the Past)
- Talk of the Town (Case #41 of Mysteries of the Past; mentioned)
- The Heart of the Matter (Case #42 of Mysteries of the Past)
- The Witching Hour (Case #43 of Mysteries of the Past; mentioned)
- Graveyard Shift (Case #44 of Mysteries of the Past; mentioned)
- Doctor, Interrupted (Case #45 of Mysteries of the Past; mentioned)
- Unsafe Haven (Case #48 of Mysteries of the Past; mentioned)
- The Machiavellian Candidate (Case #49 of Mysteries of the Past; mentioned)
Gallery
