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What's justice without loyalty? Leopold betrayed me! I haven't spent my entire life defending this family, only to have him undermine everything! Do you think this family would be so wealthy if I hadn't been making deals with bandits, stoking their little war to boost our railway profits? And who but me made a literal deal with the devil to keep our enemies quiet? And what brings it all down like a house of cards? Leopold and his naivety! He must be laughing in his grave! He stabbed us in the back, so I stabbed him through the chest, before the very eyes of our ancestors!
—Horatio Rochester

Horatio Rochester was the primary antagonist of Season 4 of Criminal Case. He was a suspect in the murder investigations of four people in Mysteries of the Past. He also appeared as a quasi-suspect in two other cases, as well as making a minor appearance in The Machiavellian Candidate (Case #49 of Mysteries of the Past). He then turned out to be the killer of his brother, aristocrat Leopold Rochester, in A Family Affair (Case #53 of Mysteries of the Past).

Profile

Horatio is a 72-year-old influential businessman. He has short gray hair and a beard. He sports a beige shirt with a white collar under a purple waistcoat with gold buttons and a beige bow-tie, and wears a black coat with gold lining over the top. Additionally, he is seen holding a cigar in his right hand.

In his first suspect appearance, it is known that Horatio is allergic to factory fumes, knows Japanese culture and smokes.

In his second suspect appearance, his eyelids have a lighter shadow around them and his shirt has a different style lacing. It is discovered that he has knowledge of botany, eats golden caviar and uses hair pomade.

In his third suspect appearance, it is revealed that he drinks sangria and knows clockworks.

In his fourth suspect appearance, it is noted that he eats porridge, is right-handed and uses carbolic soap.

In his fifth suspect appearance, he wears a silver fleur-de-lys brooch on his left lapel and is seen holding a cigar in his left hand. It is learned that he attended Concordia University, takes antidepressants and collects stamps.

Height 5'10"
Age 72
Weight 182 lbs
Eyes blue
Blood B-

Events of Criminal Case

Hold Your Tongue

Horatio became a suspect after Maddie and the player found his barometer in the shipyard. After being informed of the murder, he explained that his ship, the C.S.S. Horatio Rochester, was being built in the shipyard. He admitted to seeing the victim at the shipyard, but didn't know why he was there.

Horatio was spoken to again about his cigar ash on the victim's badge. He said he made an arrangement with the victim to speed up the paperwork for his ship. However, the victim did nothing to assist him. He claimed the C.S.S. Horatio Rochester would be halfway across the Pacific Ocean had Talmadge helped him. He then saw the Commissioner at The Concordian Pause, where he took his badge and threw it away.

Horatio was found innocent after the team incarcerated Reggie Bates for Talmadge's murder. But he later came to the airship to file a complaint about a group of miscreants hanging around his shipyard, where they even used his expensive telegraph machine. When Isaac suggested the miscreants were involved with one of the gangs, Horatio expressed his lack of care towards the topic and requested their assistance. He then gave them some shillings as an incentive.

Death Comes to Lunch

Horatio became a suspect again after the team discovered his signature in the victim's book. He became enraged that a murder in the Rochester family happened, revealing that Clarissa was his daughter. When asked if Clarissa had enemies, he said she didn't have any and then demanded Isaac and the player to find Clarissa's killer immediately.

Horatio was spoken to again about a leaflet from an adoption agency. Horatio admitted that he didn't want Clarissa to adopt an orphan as he refused to leave his fortune to a street urchin. He said he could accept Clarissa never getting married or having a child, but he would be outraged if she let an orphan eat at his table.

Horatio was found innocent again after the team incarcerated Francine for Clarissa's murder. But he was later interrogated about a picture showing him conspiring with Vittorio Capecchi. When confronted, he revealed that he had acquired some land from Vittorio. After Isaac told him that the land had been acquired through bullying and murder, he said that he didn't know anything about that, and that he had paid the farmers compensation after the fraud came to light. He then scoffed that there was nothing the team could reproach him with.

The Heart of the Matter

Horatio became a suspect for a third time after Isaac and the player found his cufflinks at the party the victim had attended. After revealing he had thrown the party, he accused the team of trying to arrest the entire Rochester family, before saying he had nothing to do with the victim and demanding they took their investigation elsewhere.

Horatio was spoken to again about a photo of him shaking the victim's hand. He confessed to being an ardent supporter of her, having helped her campaign to become Deputy Mayor, believing that a new face was needed in Concordian politics. He then revealed that his support was mainly financial, before leaving the conversation.

Horatio was found to be innocent a third time after the team incarcerated Larry Rochester for Sandra's murder. But he was later questioned by Viola and the player after the former discovered that he was her biological father. He said that he knew that Beatrice couldn't keep her mouth shut forever, before Viola revealed that she had discovered her parentage all by herself as part of recent murder investigations for the Squad. Upon discovering that she worked for the police department, he welcomed her to the family with open arms, promising not to exile her mother.

Doctor, Interrupted

After arresting Irving Blackmoor's killer, Maddie and the player talked to Patricia Rochester about the Rochesters' dealings with the Devil, who revealed that she had told Irving of the Devil. They went to his office and found an audio cylinder which (per Charlie and Diego) recorded Patricia saying that her husband consorted with the Devil. They then talked to Horatio, who dismissed Patricia's statement as mad ramblings. However, due to him saying that Patricia used to bury things in their backyard, the team investigated the asylum garden to see if they could find any clues.

Unsafe Haven

Horatio became a suspect yet again after Isaac and the player found a visitors log which proved that he had recently visited the victim. When he was greeted by them, he said that he had wondered how long it would take for them to inform him that his wife had been murdered, before revealing that Gregory Stravinsky had already informed him of Patricia's death. When Isaac commented that he didn't seem affected by her death, he said that he had already mourned the loss of Patricia when her spirit failed her, and was relieved to know that she could now rest in peace.

Horatio was spoken to again about the reasons behind Patricia's admittance to Gryphon Sanctuary. He explained that she was insufferable to live with, and that he could only calm her down by hitting her. After Isaac expressed his outrage, he rebuked him by saying that he simply did what any husband would do with a disobedient spouse, and that he wouldn't take any criticism for it.

Horatio was found to be innocent again after the team incarcerated Sylvia May for Patricia's murder.

The Machiavellian Candidate

Horatio was seen leaving Viola's lab when Maddie and the player came to retrieve the analysis results of the French wine that poisoned Lissa Avery. Maddie expressed her shock at Horatio's visit of the lab since the Squad was investigating the Rochester family, but Viola insisted that Horatio just wanted to see her workplace and not everything he did involved crime, which Maddie seemed to doubt.

The Swan Song

After arresting Marta Ulanova's killer, Isaac and the player interrogated Horatio about his plans to take over Concordia. He instantly dismissed their claims, although he admitted that the city was in dire need of an improved government. He then suggested that the time for his family to reclaim what was rightfully theirs was now, before Isaac assured him that they would stop him.

A Family Affair

Horatio became a suspect once again after Maddie and the player found two toy knights representing Horatio and his brother, Leopold, the victim. He asked the team if they could question him later as he was still mourning for his brother. When Maddie asked him when he last spoke with the victim, he told them that they had eaten breakfast together. As they had both recently suffered tragedies, they tried to support each other through the tough times. He then told the player to do everything in their power to find his brother's killer.

Horatio was spoken to again about an award belonging to the victim that he had written an angry message on. He explained that nobody knew the real Leopold and that he was actually a buffoon. When Maddie accused him of being jealous, he scoffed, saying he didn't have time for petty emotions while holding his family together. Despite his hard work, he was always painted as the bad guy, whereas the victim was forever the good guy.

This time around, it was revealed that Horatio was guilty of Leopold's murder. Initially denying involvement, Horatio admitted to the murder, saying he did it to protect his family's honor. He said that he concluded Leopold was a liability after he informed the police and the press about former Senator Malcolm Rochester's visits to prostitutes. He then admitted to stoking the war between the Italian and Irish gangs to boost profits from the Concordia Railroad Company, hiring someone to mastermind the murders of the family's opponents, and bribing officials in Gryphon Sanctuary to admit the family's political opponents in their facilities. Not wanting Leopold to betray him, Horatio stabbed him in the chest with a letter opener. Declaring the Rochesters' reign over, Judge Takakura sentenced Horatio to life in prison.

Later on, Chief Wright and the player interrogated Horatio after they found a straitjacket, leading them to believe that he had planned on sending Bernadine Rochester to Gryphon Sanctuary if she didn't spy on the Squad for the family. He admitted his guilt, saying that she had refused to spy on the Squad as she believed that she loved Chief Wright. He was going to give her an ultimatum: be loyal to the family or be locked away at Gryphon Sanctuary; this was before the team arrested Sylvia May, his contact at the asylum. This evidence proved Bernadine's innocence in relation to the Rochesters' crimes.

Trivia

  • Horatio is one of the characters to appear as a suspect in five cases.
  • Horatio is one of the characters to appear as a quasi-suspect twice.
  • Horatio is one of the characters to physically appear in four districts in Mysteries of the Past.
  • As Horatio turned out to be the killer of his own brother at the climax of his murder investigation, he is one of the eight killers in Mysteries of the Past to commit domestic homicide, with the other ones being Percy Stanbury, Susie Nottingham, Finley Flanagan, Dorothy McBain, Wilbur Owens, Gertrude Avery and Verushka Coldwell.
  • Horatio is one of the killers who are interrogated once more during the Additional Investigation.
  • At 72 years of age, Horatio is the oldest killer in Mysteries of the Past.

Case appearances

Gallery

Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 Referring to the Mysteries of the Past era.

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