Just a killer admiring his work.
After being informed about Kerry Ann's death in the previous case, Jones and the player rushed to her mansion, where they found her floating in a swimming pool with syringes sticking out of her face.
Tropes:
- Artistic License – Law: Even after being sentenced to life imprisonment, Alden Greene is somehow able to post bail and get set free here. Bail is only payable before the defendant's trial begins, and then it's only a guarantee that the defendant will actually show up for the trial; once sentence has been passed, bail is irrelevant, and if the sentence is a custodial one (i.e. one that includes jail time), the defendant can't pay bail to be released from prison. In this particular case, it's probably to show that the individual is just that much rich and well-connected.
- Big "WHAT?!": Jones' reaction after Ramirez informs you that Alden Greene has been released from prison.
- Big, Screwed-Up Family: Continuing from the previous case where a mother killed her own son, the Buxtons are shown to be at each one's throats in one way or another, with Jamie, Kerry Ann's step-granddaughter, wanting to sue her due to Hank rightfully leaving his fortune to her instead of Jamie herself.
- Broken Pedestal: During the Additional Investigation, Alex loses any admiration he had for Dwayne very quickly after meeting him and seeing how much of a pretentious Insufferable Genius he is.Alex: I can't believe it! What a jerk!Cathy is right, he's nothing more than a pretentious uninspired idiot. I'm definitely done with this guy.
- The Bus Came Back: Alden Greene returns after his arrest in Case 21, getting out of prison on a $5,000 bail due to a "procedure violation."
- Call-Back: Alden Greene and Mayor Howard Johnson reappear as suspects, with the events of Case 21 also being mentioned.
- Continuity Nod: Thomas Boedeker makes a cameo on a magazine.
- Crocodile Tears: When you meet Tom Norris, Kerry Ann's lover, he appears to be crying due to her death. Then you later find out he's the one who killed her.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Kerry Ann was injected 57 times with syringes full of collagen, which made her face swell and harden until she chocked to death.
- Death by Irony: Kerry Ann, who was obsessed about continuing being beautiful, was killed by being injected with collagen shots.
- Empty Shell: According to Tom, Kerry Ann had become this due to wanting to stay relevant among the famous people of Maple Heights.Tom: I plead guilty, your Honor. Guilty for the murder I committed. But Kerry Ann was dead a long time ago. People of Maple Heights killed her, with their games of appearance!Kerry Ann tried to keep her game up, and she lost! She was so lost that she ended up naked in those horrible pictures. All this just in the hope of landing on some front covers!They all corrupted her: Buxton, Johnson, all of them! They turned this innocent woman into a monster!
- Friendly Enemy: Alden during your meeting with him after he's released from prison.Alden: Ah, <Player's Name>, long time no see! I had a feeling we would meet again! How are things?
- I Just Want to Be Special: As you learn throughout the case, Kerry Ann was so desperate to keep being relevant that she resorted to doing things such as nude posing and humiliating herself.
- The Lost Lenore: Mayor Howard Johnson was actually in love with Kerry Ann, hence why her death affects him so much.
- Mercy Kill: Tom says he killed Kerry Ann so she could stop suffering about not being relevant in Maple Heights anymore.
- Mondegreen Gag: After Ramirez comes to inform you that Alden Greene has been released from prison, this happens:Ramirez: This is... can't believe... I ran, I... You have to... have to go... Greene! It's Greene!Jones: Have to go green? Nah, don't tell me you ran three miles to lecture me about my burger and cookie diet, Ramirez!
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Chief King, known for always telling you to follow the law and do the right thing, quickly orders you to leave Alden Greene alone even after you find evidence that he's been sneaking illegal drugs onto the market.Chief King: Jones! Some of Greene's representatives just called to inform me you were bothering him! Didn't I tell you to stay away from him? You have no business in checking on him, AT ALL!Jones: But, Chief, we found pills at...Chief King: I don't want to know, orders are orders!Jones: Y-Yes, sir... You're right, sir, I'm sorry. I guess I overreacted, but I feel all this is not right.Chief King: There is nothing we can do about it, you just have to accept things as they are!
- Public Exposure: Kerry Ann did nude posing as a way to restore her career, something that made Tom, her lover, grow furious at her for going that far to stay relevant, which made him kill her.
- Shout-Out:
- The mentioned brand PLIGMA is a parody of PUMA.
- In the Sun Chair scene, one of the items on display is a book titled "Fifty Shades of Blood," an obvious play on a certain other notorious book.
- The cars in the Taxi Depot scene are an Audi A6, a Lincoln Town Car, and a Lamborghini Murcielago LP640.
- In the Cab Truck scene, there is a ticket to a "NACSAR" race.
- Skewed Priorities: After informing Dwayne that Kerry Ann has been killed, he's utterly excited by the fact that he was the last one who took photos of her, meaning they'll be even more valuable.
- Tempting Fate: Ramirez comes to inform you about Kerry Ann's death seconds after Jones tells you she seems to be doing just fine on her own.
- There Is No Kill Like Overkill: According to Nathan, Kerry Ann was injected fifty-seven times before she died.
