Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice For All/Episode 3: Turnabout Big Top/Part 4-1: Trial

You are told by Moe that Acro is likely to be the real murderer, but it's going to be very tough to prove it. Just pressing Acro will do no good; you'll need to present substantial evidence. Otherwise, it will mean certain doom for Max.

Trial begins
Von Karma will call Acro to the stand, as predicted. She tells Acro to testify about what he saw at the scene of the crime.

What You Witnessed: Cross-examination
Press on Acro's fourth statement. Acro recognized Max, as he left the crime scene, by his silk hat and cloak, but not his white roses, since he only saw Max's back. When given a choice to move on or not, choose There is a contradiction, then present the Silk Hat to support your claim. The hat was found at the crime scene, so how did Max leave the scene while still wearing it?

The Judge asks you why Acro would lie to the court. Choose Acro is the real culprit. Von Karma and Acro disagree, as Acro is wheelchair-bound. He could not have done it in his condition. Von Karma even has a doctor's note saying Acro is unable to stand up on his own.

Von Karma now suspects you will try to claim that Acro had an accomplice. When given a choice, choose Of course he didn't. Acro committed the murder all by himself. When you are asked where he committed the crime, on the circus map, Present Acro's Room (3F). Since Acro is unable to leave his room, it's the only place he could have been when he committed the crime.

The court now asks you if you have evidence to support your claim. Choose Present evidence, then Present the Max G. Bust. The bust is very large - life-sized, in fact. It is heavy enough to kill someone if they were hit on the head by it - if it was dropped from a third-floor window, perhaps? It may look heavy, but Acro is strong enough to be able to lift it.

Your claim seems strong, and even leaves Acro at a loss for words. It looks like you are getting closer to the truth, but von Karma argues that Acro's physical state is the key to this case. Acro will now testify about his condition.

Acro's Testimony: Acro's Physical State
This testimony looks watertight. Even the Judge doesn't have any doubts. You move on with the cross-examination anyway.

Acro's Physical State: Cross-examination
Present the Wooden Box or the Crime Photo on statement five. Acro would have known exactly where Russell's head would be, because of the wooden box. You show the crime photo to the court - Russell looks like he was hunched over the box. Who put the box there? Ben/Trilo saw the Ringmaster (wearing Max's cloak and hat) without the box, so the box must have been placed before the murder.

Why was Russell squatting over the box in the first place? Probably because he was trying to lift it. It's a heavy box, so you would need to squat down to lift it - with your head directly over the box. If the bust was dropped then, it would hit the victim's head dead-on!

The Judge will, as usual, ask who actually placed the box at the crime scene. You reply that it was Acro. You add that he must have tied the box to a rope, and then lowered it down to the crime scene.

Von Karma will then argue that the Ringmaster's head could have been someplace else as he was lifting the box. You reply that that would be impossible. When asked to explain why, answer The weight of the box. The box is quite heavy, but has handles on either side for lifting - so, no matter what, your head would be in the same place as you lifted it.

Acro asks if you remember the original location of the bust. Answer I remember. The bust was on a small table in the cafeteria, so how did Acro manage to get the bust from the cafeteria to his room? Present Money the Monkey. Money loves shiny things, and Max's bust has shiny material on it. Usually, when Money sees something shiny, he takes it to Acro's room. Acro looked through Money's collection for something to use as a murder weapon, and came across the bust, which was more than heavy enough.

This makes Acro the most likely culprit, but von Karma isn't giving in yet. She reminds you that the murderer was clearly seen at the crime scene. Von Karma asks you who (or what) Moe really saw. Present the Max G. Bust. Moe claims to have seen Max's silhouette, but he didn't clearly see Max himself. He probably didn't even see a human being.

Von Karma argues that the silhouette was wearing a cloak, but you say that the cloak could have become attached to the bust somehow. When asked who put the cloak on the bust, Present Russell Berry's Profile. You then explain what happened:

On the night of the murder, Acro lowered the wooden box to the ground with a rope, and then put the rope on the bust. Russell, who had been meeting Max in his office, left for the plaza, while wearing Max's hat and cloak. As he went, he passed Ben and Trilo. He came to the box, and tried to pick it up. At this point, Acro dropped the bust, which struck the Ringmaster on his head, killing him. When the bust struck Russell, the cloak flew off him, and got snagged on the bust. Moe heard the impact, and looked out - this was when he saw the silhouette of "Max". Acro pulled up the bust, unaware that Moe was watching "Max" fly away from the crime scene.

It looks like you have proven the murder method, but von Karma wants proof. Present the Max G. Promo Poster or the Silk Hat. Recall Moe's testimony yesterday. He said he saw the silk hat on the cloak. If that's true, and if the silk hat was found at the crime scene, then the silk hat Moe saw was actually the bust. And as for the white roses that Ben and Trilo saw and Moe didn't, when the cloak was snagged on the bust, the roses disappeared from Moe's view because it was on the front of the cloak. Moe only saw the back.

Von Karma is still not giving up, and asks for one more thing: a motive. Why would Acro kill the Ringmaster, the man Acro loved very much? The Judge decides to call a recess.