“ | I'm no longer the bright-eyed, optimistic idealist I was when I first entered this profession. | „ |
—Satoshi Takakura |
Judge Satoshi Takakura (Jpn: 高倉さとし), appearing as a recurring character in Season 4 of Criminal Case, was the victim in The New Truth! (Case #55 of Mysteries of the Past), prior to which he made two quasi-suspect appearances outside his role as a judge.
Profile
A judge of 62 years of age, Takakura had gray hair that only grew on the sides, brown eyes, and multiple freckles on his face. As the judge of Concordia's Criminal Court service, he donned a black standard judge's robe over a brown waistcoat and a white shirt with a brown tie. Additionally, he often used his judge's gavel. He was known to have written a multi-volume book named The Law Archives per the events of The Conspiracy. At the time of his death, it can be seen that he also wore black pants, black shoes with black socks, and he was seen without his tie.
Throughout his appearances as a quasi-suspect, he wore his robe over a brown waistcoat and a light-blue paisley shirt with a purple tie.
During his murder investigation, Dick revealed that Takakura played the violin.
Height | 5'6" |
---|---|
Age | 62 |
Weight | 149 lbs |
Eyes | brown |
Blood | B+ |
Events of Criminal Case
Breaking the Glass Ceiling
After Takakura sentenced Henrietta Vanderbilt to 30 years in prison for the murder of Norah Barnlow, he came to visit the Squad's airship to inform Chief Wright of his incoming retirement, stating that many years as a judge had turned his optimistic and idealistic self to a cynical self. Furthermore, he stated the granting of Archie Rochester's freedom from his crimes without his consultation as his breaking point. He then asked the team to inform Mayor Cornelius Castletown of his decision to retire.
The Higher You Rise
Takakura came to the Squad's airship, looking for Chief Wright and announcing that he was going to retire once and for all. However, Isaac and the player convinced him to postpone his retirement until at least after the conclusion of their investigation into Celine Georges' murder, which would end in a high-profile trial. Wanting to leave a legacy in the legal world, Takakura decided not to retire just yet.
Takakura's final case would be the trial of his close colleague, Eleanor Halsted, Chief Inspector for the Concordian Police Department, for the sabotage of the inventions in the World Exhibition and the murder of Celine Georges. Halsted gave her motives for her crimes in the court, namely that she was being bribed by Stanley Spark to sabotage the inventions and that Celine found out everything except for the fact that Halsted was the one sabotaging inventions for Spark. Takakura sentenced Halsted to life in jail.
Later, Justin Lawson was sworn in by Mayor Castletown as the new city judge, replacing Takakura after his retirement.
Slayer's End
Because Lawson was involved in Fiona Flanagan's murder investigation, he could not handle Finley Flanagan's trial. Takakura then decided to come out of retirement just once and handle Finley's trial. He sentenced him to 25 years in Stonewall Prison.
While investigating Finley's claims of Stonewall Prison being under control of the Italian gang, the player and Katherine Woolf found that Takakura dismissed the case from court. Despite wanting to re-retire, he explained the prosecution did not have enough evidence against the Italians, hence why the case was dismissed. However, he suspected that Vittorio Capecchi may have greased a few palms among the police, corruption the player knew too well. He also said if they wanted to reopen the case, they would need solid evidence of the Italian's control over the prison, not just the testimony of some inmates.
The Machiavellian Candidate
Because Lawson became deputy mayor, Takakura came out of retirement to fill the judge vacancy. He went on to sentence Gertrude Avery to 25 years in jail for the murder of her step-daughter, Lissa Avery.
Arrow of Injustice
Once again, Takakura faced Chief Inspector Halsted in court for her escape from prison, attempted assassination of Deputy Mayor Lawson, and assassination of Mayor Castletown. He sentenced her to life in prison, assuring her that justice would prevail in Concordia despite her beliefs to the contrary.
Later, Takakura officiated the wedding of Charlie to Maddie. He advised the couple to each have their "own section of the vegetable patch," allowing each other space to breathe but also supporting each other along the way. After giving his advice, he officially wed the couple before asking for the buffet.
Murder details
Takakura was found with his head bashed in on a bleak street in Capitol Peak. Per Dick, Takakura was beaten to death with a blunt object. Furthermore, he had traces of tobacco ash on his body. Seeing that Takakura's lungs showed no signs that he was smoking, he concluded that Takakura's killer smoked tobacco.
Later, Maddie and the player found a bloody hammer in a trash can near the scene of the crime. Per Viola, the blood was Takakura's and the hammer had traces of a glycerol solution containing allantoin, which was a compound used for skincare on sensitive, freckled skin. Because of this, she registered the hammer as the murder weapon and concluded that his killer had freckles.
Relationship with suspects
Takakura had joined the resistance against Lawson's reign. Justice Corps head Inspector Jaubert suspected him of conspiracy against Lawson, although he could not get him to crack, forcing him to let Takakura go. Takakura's childhood friend, Yuri Ishida, waited for 40 years for him to propose to her despite him never showing signs of attraction to her. Takakura stressed out his courthouse clerk, Florence Samuels, making her feel like she was not doing her job well enough. Takakura annoyed his neighbor, Oscar Trefusis, with his violin playing as Oscar liked silence, leading him to break Takakura's violin. Milkman Chester Holt threatened Takakura as he was not paying for his milk. Meanwhile, Takakura had sentenced Chester to 10 years in prison for violent robbery in the past, although Chester did not harbor hatred towards him as he believed he was just doing his job.
Killer and motives
The killer turned out to be Florence.
Upon admitting to the murder, Florence revealed that Lawson was her idol and that she was in love with him. When she heard Takakura accuse him of being a merciless monster, she reported him to the Justice Corps, but they were forced to let him go. Taking matters into her own hands, she waited for him while he was going home from work and proceeded to bash his head repeatedly with a hammer until he died. Disgusted that she would commit an assassination in his name, Lawson sentenced Florence to death by beheading at the town square the next day at noon, marking the first death sentence in fifty years.
Sentences
Trivia
- Takakura is one of the characters to appear as a quasi-suspect in two cases.
- Takakura is the only judge to appear as a victim in a case.
- In Arrow of Injustice, Takakura's blood type changes from B- to B+.
Case appearances
- Welcome to Concordia! (Case #1 of Mysteries of the Past)
- Slash and Burn (Case #2 of Mysteries of the Past)
- In the Line of Fire (Case #3 of Mysteries of the Past)
- A Murder Carol (Case #4 of Mysteries of the Past)
- Shear Murder (Case #5 of Mysteries of the Past)
- In the Name of the Father (Case #6 of Mysteries of the Past)
- Let Me Down Gently (Case #7 of Mysteries of the Past)
- The Talking Dead (Case #8 of Mysteries of the Past)
- Sweet Revenge (Case #9 of Mysteries of the Past)
- Let Her Eat Cake (Case #10 of Mysteries of the Past)
- That Sinking Feeling (Case #11 of Mysteries of the Past)
- Breaking the Glass Ceiling (Case #13 of Mysteries of the Past)
- Checkmate (Case #14 of Mysteries of the Past)
- Out of Steam (Case #15 of Mysteries of the Past)
- Monkey Business (Case #16 of Mysteries of the Past)
- Electrical Hazard (Case #17 of Mysteries of the Past)
- The Higher You Rise (Case #18 of Mysteries of the Past)
- Slayer's End (Case #24 of Mysteries of the Past)
- The Machiavellian Candidate (Case #49 of Mysteries of the Past)
- The Swan Song (Case #50 of Mysteries of the Past)
- Tipping the Scales (Case #51 of Mysteries of the Past)
- A Study in Pink (Case #52 of Mysteries of the Past)
- A Family Affair (Case #53 of Mysteries of the Past)
- Arrow of Injustice (Case #54 of Mysteries of the Past)
- The New Truth! (Case #55 of Mysteries of the Past)
- Resistance Is Fatal (Case #56 of Mysteries of the Past; mentioned)
- Best Laid Plans (Case #59 of Mysteries of the Past; mentioned)
- Game, Set, Murder (Case #40 of The Conspiracy; mentioned on a clue)