History VideoGame / CriminalCaseGrimsborough

"Criminal Case" is the first game of the ''VideoGame/CriminalCase'' series, released in 2012. It was later named "Grimsborough", to distinguish it from the others.

The player character begins the game as a rookie police officer in the Grimsborough Police Department, partnered with a detective named David Jones to solve all sorts of gruesome murders in the city. Along the way, they and Jones have to contend with various quirky, shady, and outright bizarre characters, including the bumbling beat cop Ramirez, the mob boss Tony Marconi, and the business mogul Alden Greene. Grimsborough is divided into six districts - The Industrial Area, the Financial Center, the Historical Center, the Grimsborough University, Maple Heights, and the Airport.

* BagOfHolding: In ''The Grim Butcher'', the player character and Jones have to search the victim's book-bag for clues. The bag, which itself counts as a hidden-items crime scene, contains all manner of stuff, although admittedly only three sections of the bag are shown open. The items include: a sheriff's badge, a bar of chocolate, a spray-paint can, a six-sided die, a pen, a coin, a knife, a wad of cash, an envelope, a lollipop, a toothbrush, a baseball, a pair of scissors, a hamburger, a cellular phone, a paint-tube, a spoon, a bottle, a table-tennis racket, a letter-opener, a knuckle-duster, a pack of chewing gum, a purse with cosmetics, a watch, a notebook, a wrench...you know what, just look [[http://images.wikia.com/criminal-case-grimsborough/images/1/18/Criminal-Case-Jennifers-Backpack.jpg here]].

* FrozenFace: In ''Killing Me Softly'', the victim was found with [[http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130920202354/criminal-case-grimsborough/images/4/4e/Olly%27s_Body2.png a hideous grin on his face]].

* IdenticalGrandson: When the Crimson Order's existence became known, we are introduced to several minor characters who were involved in the organizations' activities during their first establishment 400 years ago, and most of them looks exactly the same as their descendants, but with differing outfits. For example, one of the suspects in ''The Poisoned Truth'', [[http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/criminal-case-grimsborough/images/a/aa/KDeHaanGrimsborough.png/revision/latest?cb=20160802053128 Kirk De Haan]] is just a modern version of his ancestor, [[http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140227034859/criminal-case-grimsborough/images/5/57/GeertDeHaan.png Geert De Haan]], in a suit and cowboy hat.

* {{NeverSuicide}}: Lisa Edwards in "At The End of The Rope"

* AbhorrentAdmirer: [[http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130603194847/criminal-case-grimsborough/images/3/36/LH.png Lydia Holly]] is this to Jones during one of ''Beautiful No More'''s side-quests, where she requests that the player character find her binoculars that she'd accidentally dropped in the alleyway, and that she now wants a "handsome policeman" to retrieve for her, hence her calling the two of you.

** Jones is the sole partner of the entire season, [[ADayInTheLimelight with Ramirez, Alex and Grace replacing him in Cases 31, 37, and 48, respectively]]. From Season 2 onward, there are two partners each.

** Jones is the sole partner of the entire season, [[ADayInTheLimelight with Ramirez, Alex and, Grace replacing him in Cases 31, 37, and 48, respectively]]. From Season 2 onward, there are two partners each.

** Jones is the sole partner of the entire season, [[ADayInTheLimelight with Ramirez, Alex and Grace replacing him in Cases 31, 37, and 48, respectively]]. From Season 2 onward, there are two partners each.

** Jones is the sole partner of the entire season, [[ADayInTheLimelight with Alex and Grace replacing him in Case 37 and 48 respectively]]. From Season 2 onward, there are two partners each.

* Foreshadowing: Future plotlines and character conflicts are frequently set up cases before.

** In his first appearance (the players first real case), convenience store owner Joe Stern expresses extreme frustration over the gang activity in his neighborhood. [[spoiler: In his last, he's [[VigilanteJustice taken matters into his own hands]].]]
**

* NerdsAreSexy: Tess Goodwin, one of several recurring characters during the University arc, is this in spades. Compare her [[http://criminal-case-grimsborough.wikia.com/wiki/File:Tess_Case_35.png usual look]] with her look as [[http://criminal-case-grimsborough.wikia.com/wiki/File:Tess_in_37.jpg a cosplayer]] and her appearance for [[http://criminal-case-grimsborough.wikia.com/wiki/File:Tess_Case_41.png the prom]].

* FlatCharacter: Rosa Wolfe, the victim in ''The Death of Rosa Wolf'''s JustifiedTutorial, and Matt Barry[[spoiler:, her killer]]. The only thing we know about either of them is that Matt is a football player, but other than that, nothing.

* MakeItLookLikeAnAccident: The killer in [[spoiler:''All the King's Horses]] attempts this by frightening a horse with an explosive and a beehive in its stall, resulting in the horse rearing up and smashing the victim's skull with its hooves.

* HarmfulToMinors: [[http://criminalcasegame.wikia.com/wiki/Isaac_Hersberger Isaac Hersberger]], an 8-year-old Amish boy, witnessed the whole murder in ''The Devil's Playground''. It's even worse when it's revealed the murder is [[his own father]].

* MentalTimeTravel: OnceAnEpisode in the Airport arc, the player and Jones use the power of storytelling and imagination, as well as some "Aloki magic", to visit certain events in the past that somehow tie into the case.

* ScaryLibrarian: Constance Bell. She used to browbeat Jones, when he was much younger, over returning library books late or being too loud in the library, and even years after the fact, her use of the FullNameUltimatum is enough to set Jones on edge when you and he go to see her in ''The Summoning''. As well, by her own admission, she was trained in voodoo at a young age, and claimed to have set a curse on the case's victim to give him perpetual bad luck until he returned overdue library books. And then there's her BerserkButton about people leaving food stains on books they've borrowed from her--she threatens in a screeching voice to set a curse on the person responsible, prompting Jones to grab you and beat a very hasty retreat.
* RookieRedRanger: The player character gets thrust into this role, ostensibly to help with the growing case-load the Grimsborough police department has to contend with. Fortunately, they are partnered with Jones to help you out and provide support.

* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: Jones gives one in ''Beautiful No More'' when he suggests that you should go back to Marconi's stripper club to find more clues, while insisting that it's certainly not to go see the club's cute barmaid (who happens to be a suspect).

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: During ''It All Ends Here'', you find evidence that the Red Party and Blue Party are really the same thing and both are being controlled from behind the scenes. You later find out that [[spoiler:The Crimson Order]] is behind everything, and that the Red Party's Howard Johnson is a member - but Martha Price and the Blue Party cease to be mentioned after the end, even though logically Martha would be a member as well.

The player begins the game as a rookie police officer in the Grimsborough Police Department, partnered with a detective named David Jones to solve all sorts of gruesome murders in the city. Along the way, you and Jones have to contend with various quirky, shady, and outright bizarre characters, including the bumbling beat cop Ramirez, the mob boss Tony Marconi, and the business mogul Alden Greene. Grimsborough is divided into six districts - The Industrial Area, the Financial Center, the Historical Center, the Grimsborough University, Maple Heights, and the Airport.

* AbhorrentAdmirer: [[http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130603194847/criminal-case-grimsborough/images/3/36/LH.png Lydia Holly]] is this to Jones during one of ''Beautiful No More'''s side-quests, where she requests that you find her binoculars that she'd accidentally dropped in the alleyway, and that she now wants a "handsome policeman" to retrieve for her, hence her calling the two of you.

* BagOfHolding: In ''The Grim Butcher'', you and Jones have to search the victim's book-bag for clues. The bag, which itself counts as a hidden-items crime scene, contains all manner of stuff, although admittedly only three sections of the bag are shown open. The items include: a sheriff's badge, a bar of chocolate, a spray-paint can, a six-sided die, a pen, a coin, a knife, a wad of cash, an envelope, a lollipop, a toothbrush, a baseball, a pair of scissors, a hamburger, a cellular phone, a paint-tube, a spoon, a bottle, a table-tennis racket, a letter-opener, a knuckle-duster, a pack of chewing gum, a purse with cosmetics, a watch, a notebook, a wrench...you know what, just look [[http://images.wikia.com/criminal-case-grimsborough/images/1/18/Criminal-Case-Jennifers-Backpack.jpg here]].

* TheCorrupter: The Rorschach Reaper uses hypnosis and [[BreakThemByTalking psychologically-specific speeches]] on selected targets and prompts them to murder people they've got a particular beef with. However, the Reaper later claims that this is MoreThanMindControl, since the affected parties in question always had it in them to murder. The Reaper also manages to do this with Jones in an attempt to kill your player character.

* CutHimselfShaving: In ''A Russian Case'', Dimitri Balanchine gives exactly this explanation for the scars on the side of his face when you and Jones question him in relation to the case.

* DelayedOhCrap: Jones has one in ''Bomb Alert on Grimsborough'', when you and he find a bomb hidden in a car trunk.

** ''A Deadly Game'' kicks off when you and Jones receive a severed finger in a package.

* {{Frameup}}: Colin Stokes, the StalkerWithACrush in ''Beautiful No More'', accuses you and Jones of "planting" Trixie Velvet's necklace in his studio to set him up as the one responsible for her murder.

* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Troy Cassidy]] quits gang life to become an inventor, after you return a motorcycle blueprint to him during a side-quest in ''Into the Viper's Nest''.

* ItsUpToYou: Deliberately invoked by Jones concerning you, several times, when he presses you to investigate certain crime scenes that he'd rather not get involved with himself (though he winds up accompanying you anyway). Played for comedy a lot of times, such as when you have to investigate a sewer to find critical clues to aid your investigation.

* TheKillerWasLeftHanded: You make this discovery about the killer in Case 4. Three of that case's suspects are left-handed.
* KindheartedCatLover: Four are shown in Case 8: Lydia Holly, Alice August, Colin Stokes, and--surprisingly--Tony Marconi.

* LoopholeAbuse: In Case 11, Marconi files a restraining order forbidding Jones to come near him or his club. What does Jones do? He sends you and Ramirez to Marconi instead, since the terms of the restraining order [[ExactWords only explicitly speak to Jones]].

* LoveTriangle: The motive for several of the murders in the game. [[spoiler:Case 3's victim was sleeping with the killer's boyfriend, and the girlfriend in question [[LoveMakesYouEvil did not]] [[MurderTheHypotenuse take it well]]. Anton Levin was sleeping with and impregnated his son's girlfriend. Case 10's victim, a married man, was killed by one of his mistress's lover's jealous fling]].
* MadBomber: The killer in Case 13 offs the victim with an explosive, then plants a few more around Grimsborough, sending the police force into a panic. One bomb is even deliberately rigged ''not'' to go off when its timer runs out, as a way of taunting the cops [[spoiler:though Alex later discovers that you would've gotten blown up if you HAD tried to disarm that bomb]].
* MagicalComputer: The @rtist is able to halt Alex's hacking into a local online networking site to see the victim's account in Case 33, but only does so because, as explained to the team, the police's software is too obvious on the site's network.
* MakeItLookLikeAnAccident: Case 49's killer attempts this by frightening a horse with an explosive and a beehive in its stall, resulting in the horse rearing up and smashing the victim's skull with its hooves.

* TheManBehindTheMan: The Rorschach Reaper manipulated the killers in Cases 32, 35 and 38, but later claims it was MoreThanMindControl.
* MentalTimeTravel: OnceAnEpisode in the Airport arc, the player and Jones use "Aloki magic" to visit certain events in the past that somehow tie into the case.
* MisunderstoodLonerWithAHeartOfGold: James Savage, a hunter who lives alone with his dog in the woods and is a supporting character during the Historical Center arc. He's considered very creepy by the locals, and he'll chase you off with a shotgun if you come on his property uninvited, but he genuinely cares for animals and is willing to be civil to your player character and Jones.

** Ash Bison explains to you and Jones that he would never go against Tony Marconi because people who do end up dead.

* MurderByMistake: In Case 17 (The Last Supper), the victim was poisoned by a chef who actually intended to kill a food critic who has ruined her restaurant's business, but the waiter delivered the food to the wrong table.
* MyBelovedSmother: Daniel Taylor, Case 23's victim, had an aunt who, when you and Jones meet her, proves to be...demanding.

* NoodleIncident: Jezabela and Jones are hinted to have some history together...and she ''almost'' blabs about their past as a way of blackmailing him into finding a lost item of hers during one of Case 20's side-quests.

* NotNowKiddo: [[PoliceAreUseless Ramirez]] is hilariously treated this way by Jones in Case #17, although [[BigEater Jones]] immediately dropped this as soon as Ramirez suggested him to investigate a restaurant.

* NotSoDifferent: In Case 11, Tony Marconi says this of himself and Jones [[spoiler:on being arrested for Salvador Cordero's murder, which he committed [[EvenEvilHasStandards to stop Salvador from raping Ginger]]]]. [[ShutUpHannibal Jones begs to differ]].

* OnlyBadGuysCallTheirLawyers: In Case 11, Jones tries to argue this after being told that Tony Marconi's lawyers have filed a restraining order against him. [[WhatTheHellHero Chief King isn't having it]].

* OverprotectiveDad: Alcott Milton is this for his granddaughter Elvira, in Case 26.

* PiranhaProblem: The focus of Case 38, as the victim was half-EatenAlive by a school of these. It's quickly determined that it wasn't an accident, as the fish were taken out of a science-project tank and the victim was deliberately cut on her leg to ensure the piranha would attack her.
* PlayingWithSyringes: Case 21's murder weapon is a syringe with a deadly experimental serum, while Case 45's murder weapon is a collagen-filled syringe (the victim was stabbed with ''several'' of these). Kelly Speltz, being an EvilutionaryBiologist, also does this often.

** Averted with [[spoiler:Mrs Jenny Honeycomb]] in "An Elementary Murder". [[spoiler:While she did kill the victim, she only wanted to threaten her into breaking up with her]].
** Played straight in "Beautiful No More". [[spoiler:The murderer killed her victim because she laughed at her when she realised she was her secret admirer.]]
* PsychoPsychologist: Dr. Lawrence Bishop, one of the suspects in Case 7, is revealed to be this, by virtue of being a [[TheFundamentalist fundamentalist Christian]] ''and'' being on the same medication he prescribed to his patients. That he encouraged Linda Lovara's madness while she was his patient really doesn't help his case.

* RedHerring: Several cases in the Grimsborough arc can mislead you as to who the killer is:
** In case 1, [[spoiler:of the two suspects, Ash Bison is associated with the Vipers and has a very abrasive personality. But the culprit is actually the other suspect, the football player Matt Barry.]]
** In case 3, [[spoiler:a message from Jennifer's phone casts doubt on Raoul the butcher, and Raphael has a very strong motive to kill Jennifer to avoid their affair being exposed to his girlfriend Trish. But the culprit is actually Trish herself, who killed Jennifer upon discovering the affair.]]
** In case 8, [[spoiler:Colin behaves like a creepy stalker and was obsessed with the victim, making him a very strong suspect in her murder. But the culprit is actually Alice the barmaid, who also had feelings for the victim and killed the victim upon her confession being rejected.]]
* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: Case 50's victim was eaten by a giant boa.
* RichBitch: In Case 14, mall cleaner Odell Toole describes Lucy Campbell, a clothing store owner and the murder victim, as this. Case 15's victim, Aileen Greene (Alden Greene's daughter-in-law), is also revealed to have behaved this way.

* SafeSaneAndConsensual: BDSM mistress Jezabela insists her fetish parties operate under this, when you question her in Case 20.

* ScaryLibrarian: Constance Bell. She used to browbeat Jones, when he was much younger, over returning library books late or being too loud in the library, and even years after the fact, her use of the FullNameUltimatum is enough to set Jones on edge when you and he go to see her in Case 26. As well, by her own admission, she was trained in voodoo at a young age, and claimed to have set a curse on the case's victim to give him perpetual bad luck until he returned overdue library books. And then there's her BerserkButton about people leaving food stains on books they've borrowed from her--she threatens in a screeching voice to set a curse on the person responsible, prompting Jones to grab you and beat a very hasty retreat.
* RookieRedRanger: Your character gets thrust into this role, ostensibly to help with the growing case-load the Grimsborough police department has to contend with. Fortunately, you are partnered with Jones to help you out and provide support.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Alden Greene. This is also the attitude of the affluent Maple Heights residents, as Case 42's killer alleges.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: General James Marsh, one of the suspects in Case 21, calls in Mayor Johnson to convince you not to keep him on your suspects' list.

* ShellShockedVeteran: Shaun Crosby, in Case 13. On being told that his father, the victim of that case and also a war veteran, was killed in an explosion, Shaun's immediate reaction is to panic and ask if they're under attack and if reinforcements are needed. Jones notes that it must be a sign of PTSD.
* SlashedThroat: The victim in case 52 is given a Colombian Necktie.

* SoftGlass: Averted in Case 11, as the victim was murdered by [[GrievousBottleyHarm having a glass bottle smashed over his head, cracking his skull]].
* StalkerWithACrush: Colin Stokes and [[spoiler:Alice August]] are revealed to have been this for Trixie Velvet, Case 8's victim.
* StealthInsult: Ash Bison, the former leader of the Vipers gang, pulls this during Case 1's side-quest, when you and Jones interrogate him about the activities of his organization. Eventually, he offers up information:

* SteelEarDrums: Averted in Case 13, in which the victim died after being blown up by a bomb; Nathan points out that the perpetrator, as well as anyone less than 30 feet away from the blast, would suffer some hearing loss.
* TheStoner: Tom Hunt and Riley Davies from Cases 15 and 33, respectively.

** Also, the killer in Case 17 has to be a very good cook to be able to poison the food without it being noticed by the victim.
* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: Jones gives one in Case 8 when he suggests that you should go back to Marconi's stripper club to find more clues, while insisting that it's certainly not to go see the club's cute barmaid (who happens to be a suspect).

* TamperingWithFoodAndDrink: How the murders in Cases 17, 31 and 42 are committed. In the first two cases, the food was poisoned; in the third case, razor-blades were hidden inside the cake the victim was eating, and the victim only died because he was a BigEater who basically gobbled down his food without chewing properly.

* TeensAreShort: From Case 18, Ramona Stewart (16 years old) has exactly the same height with Julian Ramis, who is 4 years younger than her.
* TemptingFate: Case 16 starts this way.

* TownWithADarkSecret: During the aftermath of Case 51's, a certain Stuard Huckabee hints that there may be a reason why so many murders take place in Grimsborough. This "dark secret" manifests in the form of a notorious secret society called the Crimson Order. The organization apparently controls Grimsborough's finances through their illicit gold mining, and would kill anyone who stands against them.

* VehicularSabotage: Case 47's killer did this to the victim's plane by pouring fake de-icing fluid into the plane's engine, causing the victim to crash the plane at the site of his own wedding party (on the day of his wedding, no less).

* WeCanRuleTogether: [[spoiler:Alden Greene]] tries this with your player character at the end of Case 21, but it doesn't take.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: During one of Case 41's side-quests, a teacher at Grimsborough University is determined that no more of the school's students are going to be killed...so she submits a safety-measures proposal to the dean that consists of hourly helicopter patrols, cameras in the bathrooms, students being required to carry circulation permits, and a stipulation that notifications of schedule changes are to be given two days beforehand.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: During Case 51, you find evidence that the Red Party and Blue Party are really the same thing and both are being controlled from behind the scenes. You later find out that [[spoiler:The Crimson Order]] is behind everything, and that the Red Party's Howard Johnson is a member - but Martha Price and the Blue Party cease to be mentioned after the end of Case 51, even though logically Martha would be a member as well.

** One side-quest in Case 5 involves figuring out whether the food at Dimitri Balanchine's restaurant is safe for consumption. When test results show that the food is safe, Jones grumbles about how the test result will exempt Balanchine from being prosecuted (since Balanchine has criminal connections). Grace immediately calls him out on this attitude, pointing out that Jones ought to be happy nobody's getting sick as a result of eating Balanchine's food.

** In Case 11, Chief King takes Jones to task for allowing his investigation into Tony Marconi to get [[ItsPersonal too personal]], threatening him with suspension if Jones violates the restraining order that's been taken out against him.
* YourHeadAsplode: Case 41's victim got her head blown off after her tiara was rigged to explode.

** Anton Levin, the victim in Case 5, was the head of [[TheMafiya the local Russian mafiya]].

* DuelingHackers: A non-malicious one occurs in Case 33, in which Alex tried to hack into a suspect's online profile, only to be counter-hacked by The @rtist. The latter reveals that she was only trying to get the police's attention so that she could assist the team.
* DysfunctionalFamily: Jones comes to see the Greene family as this in Case 15, as they don't seem to be particularly affected by the murder of their matriarch, and are more concerned about the possible scandal her death may cause.

** The Mills family from Case 40 is also this. Both parents are struggling with marital problems and act emotionally abusive towards their daughter Sarah, who looks up to her au pair. They get better in the Additional Investigation.

** In stark contrast to later seasons, there are very little [=LGBT=] characters beyond minor suspects, with same-sex relationships being shown in a negative light. For example, both Case 8 and 40 [[spoiler:have lesbians as the killers, the former being a PsychoLesbian who killed a straight woman she had feelings for, while the latter killed her lover to keep their tryst a secret.]]

* EnergyWeapon: Case 48's victim was shot through the ribs with a hair-removal laser.

** Troy Cassidy, the leader of the Skulls, makes it clear to the police in Case 9 that, although Chad Whickman was a former Viper, he wouldn't have killed Chad since he knew his sister Rose was in love with the victim.

* EvilutionaryBiologist: Kelly Speltz, one of the suspects in Case 21. She's been known to perform illegal experiments on animals which she claims will [[UltimateLifeForm make humanity better than it is now]] [[spoiler:and she also created the serum that killed Rachel Priest]].

* EyeScream: Freddy Stewart, the victim in Case 18, was shot in the left eye with a crossbow.
* FatBastard: Odell Toole is the heaviest killer in the game.[[note]] Technically, Per-Sephone is. She's 82 pounds heavier than Odell. However, Per-Sephone is a robot who is made entirely out of metal so... [[/note]] Weighing in at 298 pounds.

** In Case 3, Jennifer Carter's heart was cut out, packaged and given to her mother [[{{Squick}} in a parcel of meat she'd bought]].

** Case 20 kicks off when you and Jones receive a severed finger in a package.
* FishingForSole: In Case 43, the unfortunate Jones discovers the victim this way.
* FlatCharacter: Rosa Wolfe, the victim in Case 1's JustifiedTutorial, and Matt Barry, her killer. The only thing we know about either of them is that Matt is a football player, but other than that, nothing.
* ForeignCussword: In "A Russian Case", Anton's son Mikhail called his late father a "svoloch", which is Russian for "bastard".
* {{Frameup}}: Colin Stokes, the StalkerWithACrush in Case 8, accuses you and Jones of "planting" Trixie Velvet's necklace in his studio to set him up as the one responsible for her murder.

** Case 14's killer deliberately sought to invoke this, since he wanted to be remembered as more than just an ordinary guy.

*** Later subverted, as it turns out that Adam is just a former FosterKid who changed his identity to fit in the glamorous community of Maple Heights, and nobody there actually takes him seriously.
* FrozenFace: Case 33's victim was found with [[http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130920202354/criminal-case-grimsborough/images/4/4e/Olly%27s_Body2.png a hideous grin on his face]].
* FryingPanOfDoom: Ramirez' frying pan is much more useful than his gun. He even saved the Player Character's life ''twice'' with it. [[spoiler:The first one he used to knock out a mind-controlled Jones, the second one he used to distract the ''Crimson Order's Leader'']].
* FullNameUltimatum: We learn Jones' middle name (Jeremiah) in case 35, thanks to a furious Grace who's angry at him because her fiance is a suspect in the case.

* GrievousBottleyHarm: The victim in Case 11 had his skull cracked when a bottle was smashed over his head.
* HarmfulToMinors: [[http://criminalcasegame.wikia.com/wiki/Isaac_Hersberger Isaac Hersberger]], an 8-years-old Amish boy, witnessed the whole murder in Case #36. It's even worse when you found who the murderer is.
* HauntedHouse: Hector Fernandez's house, in Case 28, was purported to be one of these after his infant son died under mysterious circumstances there. [[spoiler:It was a lie he made up to cover up his negligence, and his wife didn't take it well when she found out]].
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Troy Cassidy]] quits gang life to become an inventor, after you return a motorcycle blueprint to him during a side-quest in Case 11.

* {{Hypocrite}}: The murderer in Case #36, an Amish citizen, claimed that murdering people is against the Amish rules.

* HypocriticalHumor: One suspect in Case 53 complained about her ex-husband's bad breath. After the conversation, Jones complained that she too has bad breath.
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: The killer's MotiveRant in Case 38 includes this, word for word. So does the killer's explanation to Judge Hall in Case 42.
* IHaveNoSon: Anton Levin, the victim in Case 5, did not have a good relationship with his son Mikhail; so much so, in fact, that he had already disowned the younger man prior to the start of the case. However, when interrogated, Mikhail claims that he didn't care about being disowned, since he had already come to hate his father anyway.
* INeverSaidItWasPoison: Jones gets Case 10's murderer to incriminate himself this way.

* IReadItForTheArticles: In Case 8, Jones uses a variation of this as his excuse for how he knows the murder victim was a stripper at Marconi's night-club.

* IdenticalGrandson: When the Crimson Order's existence became known, we are introduced to several minor characters who were involved in the organizations' activities during their first establishment 400 years ago, and most of them looks exactly the same as their descendants, but with differing outfits. For example, one of the suspects in Case 54, [[http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/criminal-case-grimsborough/images/a/aa/KDeHaanGrimsborough.png/revision/latest?cb=20160802053128 Kirk De Haan]] is just a modern version of his ancestor, [[http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140227034859/criminal-case-grimsborough/images/5/57/GeertDeHaan.png Geert De Haan]], in a suit and cowboy hat.

* ImAHumanitarian: Case 20's killer admits to having ate the victim's liver after torturing and killing him.

* ItsAllAboutMe: What Case 8's MotiveRant basically boils down to, when the reason for Trixie's murder is revealed.

* JerkJock: Chad Baker comes across this way, especially during Case 38, where he claims not to care about girls who don't care about football. He gets CharacterDevelopment as the arc goes on, though.
* KarmaHoudini: During the bonus investigation part of "A Russian Case", Jones hopes to shut Dimitri Balanchine's restaurant down for food poisoning, [[spoiler:only for the food samples to be clean, with Jones showing resentment that Dimitri's restaurant passed the surprise health inspection]].
* KickTheDog: Vanessa Carter, the victim's mother in Case 3, is already drowning in grief over her daughter's murder when she discovers that her daughter's heart has been packaged together with some meat she'd bought sometime after the killing. The killer intended for her to ''[[{{Squick}} eat her own daughter's heart]]''.
* KillItWithFire: Salvador Cordero, the Vipers' leader, likes to kill people by dousing them in gasoline and setting them on fire. Incidentally, Case 9's murder was the result of the victim, Chad Whickman, being killed exactly this way.
* KilledMidSentence: Happens to Case 41's victim moments after being crowned Prom Queen.

* AbhorrentAdmirer: [[http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130603194847/criminal-case-grimsborough/images/3/36/LH.png Lydia Holly]] is this to Jones during one of Case 8's side-quests, where she requests that you find her binoculars that she'd accidentally dropped in the alleyway, and that she now wants a "handsome policeman" to retrieve for her, hence her calling the two of you.

* AGodAmI: Milton Grimmes declares himself "Grimsborough's God" when he becomes exposed as the leader of [[AncientConspiracy The Crimson Order]]:
--> '''Milton Grimmes:''' Gold has given the Crimson Order unlimited power! As its leader, I get to choose who lives and who dies in this town. I am Grimsborough's God!

* AmoralAttorney: At the end of Case 15, one of these, Gerald Young, comes forward to represent the killer and appeal the sentence, arguing that the case against his client has irregularities. Fortunately, Judge Hall throws out the appeal and upholds the killer's sentence.
* AndIMustScream: The victims in Cases 19 and 32 were both unconscious at the time they were put into the situations that resulted in their deaths. Case 19's victim was buried in concrete, which got into her airway and filled her throat while it was being poured into the pit where she was later found; Case 32's victim was put near an anthill and the ants got into her nose and mouth and constricted her breathing.

* ArmouredClosetGay: The murderer in Case #40 is willing to kill just to make sure that her lesbian relationship remains hidden
* ArtisticLicenseLaw: Even after being sentenced to life imprisonment at the end of Case 21, [[spoiler:Alden Greene]] is somehow able to post bail and appear as a suspect in a later case in the Maple Heights arc. 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'' [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney monied]] and [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections well-connected]].
* BagOfHolding: In Case 3, you and Jones have to search the victim's book-bag for clues. The bag, which itself counts as a hidden-items crime scene, contains all manner of stuff, although admittedly only three sections of the bag are shown open. The items include: a sheriff's badge, a bar of chocolate, a spray-paint can, a six-sided die, a pen, a coin, a knife, a wad of cash, an envelope, a lollipop, a toothbrush, a baseball, a pair of scissors, a hamburger, a cellular phone, a paint-tube, a spoon, a bottle, a table-tennis racket, a letter-opener, a knuckle-duster, a pack of chewing gum, a purse with cosmetics, a watch, a notebook, a wrench...you know what, just look [[http://images.wikia.com/criminal-case-grimsborough/images/1/18/Criminal-Case-Jennifers-Backpack.jpg here]].
* TheBartender: Alice August is the barmaid for Tony Marconi's nightclub in Case 8.
* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Jones remarked that the victim of Case 43 still looks "dashingly handsome" even after being cut in half.

** The Greene Bank, and its owner Alden Greene, act as this for Shaun Crosby in Case 13, because they reportedly increased the interest on the loans that were made out by individuals in his father's market district when the residents refused to accept a buyout from the bank. One bank employee recalls that Shaun once flung a garbage can through one of their windows in a rage over the matter.

* BloodSplatteredInnocents: The victim of Case 41 was killed using an exploding tiara while being crowned Prom Queen, and her blood splashed all over her boyfriend, who was the prom king.
* BodyHorror: In Case 21. [[spoiler:Rachel was injected with an experimental SuperSoldier serum, which caused her bones to grow to exponential size. However, since the serum was intended for men, it caused her body to be torn apart from the inside]].
* BodyInABreadbox: Corpses can be found in some...weird places. As an early example, Case 3's victim was found hanging on a hook in a butcher's warehouse.
* BoomHeadshot: Case 51's victim got a bullet right between the eyes.
* BreakTheCutie: Sarah Mills, an 8-years-old girl from Case #40. First, her nanny is murdered. Then, we've also found out [[AbusiveParents her parents are emotionally abusive]]. For starter, her mother [[FelonyMisdemeanor can get easily mad]] for her freaking Toys/TeddyBear doll. She gets better in the end, though.
* BrokenPedestal: Case 6's victim was a known member of the Grimsborough PD, whom the team later finds out to have been corrupt. His partner, and apparently former mentee, had looked up to him, [[spoiler:but ended up accidentally killing him after the victim refused to change his ways]].

* CutHimselfShaving: In Case 5, Dimitri Balanchine gives exactly this explanation for the scars on the side of his face when you and Jones question him in relation to the case.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Elvira Milton, the gothic girl from Case #26. She is the friendliest and most cooperative suspect in said case. She's also appreciative on Alex Turner's fanboying her grandfather.

* DeathFromAbove: Case 22's victim, a stage actor, had a sandbag dropped on his head. Case 28's victim died a similar death, only in his case the item was a chandelier.
* DelayedOhCrap: Jones has one in Case 13, when you and he find a bomb hidden in a car trunk.

* DeadGuyOnDisplay: How several of the victims' bodies are found, but Cases 14, 24 and 36 in particular play it very straight--Case 14's victim is put on display in her clothing store and another character mistakes her for a realistic mannequin; Case 24's victim was cut open, stuffed, and put on display in a museum; and Case 36's victim was [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice run through with a pitchfork]] and then disguised as a scarecrow.
* DiesWideOpen: Case 51's victim, who was shot in the head, has his eyes open when he's presented in his body-bag.
* DirtyCop: Case 6's victim, Ed Dunkin, is known to visit hookers and bet on dogfights, among other things.
* DisproportionateRetribution: Case 12's victim, a stockbroker, constantly bragged about a new deal he'd made with the wealthy Alden Greene. His rival's response? Disembowel him and hang him up on display.
** Also, Case 39's killer killed the victim just because he was cheating on his test.

"Criminal Case" is the first game of the VideoGame/CriminalCase series, released in 2012. It was later named "Grimsborough", to distinguish it from the others.

!Tropes