Howdy folks, and welcome to the second Puzzlemaster's Court game! Since I'm too lazy to re-type everything, I'll copy and paste the rules over from the last game.

Stuff for the newbies:
Please note that this game is restricted to the 12 who signed up in this thread. Feel free to participate, but know that your votes may not be counted. You can try to sway the opinions of the voters, though. Or try to solve the mystery yourself.
*****THE RULES*****
In this game, you chosen twelve will be presented with a case. Your job is to vote upon whether or not the person on trial should be sent to the slammer. The rules are as follows:
1. Unlike the Puzzlemaster’s Mysteries, you will all be working together here.
2. Questions may not be asked to me (or at least, you can ask all you like, but I won’t answer), but open discussion is allowed and encouraged.
3. Since you’re working together, you do, however, have the power of the vote! Votes on evidence or clues may be changed, but if ever you choose to make the final vote of guilty/not guilty, it is permanent and cannot be revoked.
4. Your final guilty/not guilty verdict may be presented at any time you please, so long as you can back it up per rule 6. You will not be informed whether you were correct or not until everybody has voted and a ruling has been handed down to the defendant.
5. Please put your votes in bold.
6. There are three prizes. One of them will be distributed randomly among the correct voters, the other will be handed out by my judgement on who has the most puzzling power (you can still potentially win a prize even if you vote incorrectly!). To add SOME sense of competition, the first person to vote correctly will win Broken Age (a drm-free copy and a Steam key, from Humble Bundle), courtesy of sunshinecorp. Or, if they're not interested in that, they can take a game of their choice from the list provided courtesy of gnostic.
“But, Zeogold!” you cry. “Couldn’t I just guess randomly and have a 50/50 shot at winning?” Ah, here’s the catch: Not only must you vote correctly, but you must also properly explain your REASONING to me via PM, and that has to be correct as well. Only THEN do you get the game and become our big winner. You are also allowed to win for somebody else, if you so desire.
7. The day will only advance when all jurors have voted and a majority has emerged. If there is a clear majority and one or two voters seem to be lagging behind, the remaining jurors will be given the option to speed things along.

The game is held in a series of rounds, known as “court days”. Note that this is NOT a literal 24-hour-period. It is determined by clues (known as “evidence” to keep with the court theme) asked for, each one causing the day to pass. The object of the game is to solve the case in as few days as possible. For each Puzzlemaster’s Court game, I will post the challenge number for those of you who want to push yourselves. This is the minimum number of days required to solve the case.
On each day, you (the jury) will vote on a piece of evidence to view. This will advance the day. I will only present the evidence once all jurors have voted (only exception to this is if the voting is dragged down by one or more inactive members or if there is a clear majority). I will keep track of votes. The game officially ends when all voters have decided on their guilty/not guilty vote, and the verdict will be handed down to the defendant.

Stuff for the old folks:
Since y'all wanted something a little different, know that this game will be in two stages. Stage 1 will be to determine the guilty/innocent verdict. Stage 2, however, will have you doing a little hunting...
The audience might play a bigger part this time around.

Also, since we have a few actors working with us here, I'll occasionally ask you not to post until the judge bangs his gavel. The signal for this will be that the judge will "ask for silence". After this happens, please refrain from posting until the gavel is banged. This is because I'd like a period of time whereby these guys or me can talk. Please respect this. Makes the game more fun that way.

*****THE JURORS AND THEIR VOTES*****
DAY 1
1. ZFR - Officer on Scene, Bedroom
2. Yezemin - Officer on Scene, Bathroom
3. sunshinecorp - Officer on Scene, Bathroom
4. DyNaer - Prosecution Witness, Doorman
5. Maxvorstadt - Prosecution Witness, Darleen's Coworker
6. yogsloth - Prosecution Witness, Doorman
7. ashwald - Prosecution Witness, Doorman
8. ShadowPatriarch - Prosecution Witness, Doorman
9. vv221 - Prosecution Witness, Doorman
10. Habanerose - Officer on Scene, Bedroom
11. REDVWIN - Prosecution Witness, Doorman
12. bler144 - Prosecution Witness, Doorman

Tally:
7 votes for hearing the doorman speak
2 votes for the officer in the bathroom
2 votes for the officer in the bedroom
1 vote for hearing the coworker speak

DAY 2
1. ZFR - Prosecution Witness, Darleen's Coworker
2. Yezemin - Officer on Scene, Bedroom
3. sunshinecorp - Officer on Scene, Bedroom
4. DyNaer - ABSENT FROM COURT
5. Maxvorstadt - Prosecution Witness, Darleen's Coworker
6. yogsloth - Officer on Scene, Bathroom
7. ashwald - Prosecution Witness, Darleen's Coworker
8. ShadowPatriarch - Officer on Scene, Bedroom
9. vv221 - Officer on Scene, Bedroom
10. Habanerose - Officer on Scene, Bedroom
11. REDVWIN - Officer on Scene, Bathroom
12. bler144 - Officer on Scene, Bedroom

Tally:
6 votes for the officer in the bedroom
3 votes for hearing the coworker speak
2 vote for the officer in the bathroom

DAY 3
1. ZFR - Prosecution Witness, Darleen's Coworker
2. Yezemin - Courtroom Evidence, Cecil's Box
3. sunshinecorp - Courtroom Evidence, Cecil's Box
4. DyNaer - Courtroom Evidence, Cecil's Box
5. Maxvorstadt - Courtroom Evidence, Cecil's Box
6. yogsloth - Courtroom Evidence, Cecil's Box
7. ashwald - Courtroom Evidence, Cecil's Box
8. ShadowPatriarch - Courtroom Evidence, Cecil's Box
9. vv221 - Courtroom Evidence, Cecil's Box
10. Habanerose - Courtroom Evidence, Cecil's Box
11. REDVWIN - Prosecution Witness, Darleen's Coworker
12. bler144 -Courtroom Evidence, Cecil's Box

Tally:
10 votes for what's in the box
2 vote for hearing the coworker speak

DAY 4
1. ZFR - Prosecution Witness, Darleen's Coworker
2. Yezemin - Officer on Scene, Bathroom
3. sunshinecorp - Prosecution Witness, Darleen's Coworker
4. DyNaer - Prosecution Witness, Darleen's Coworker
5. Maxvorstadt - Prosecution Witness, Darleen's Coworker
6. yogsloth - Officer on Scene, Bathroom
7. ashwald - Prosecution Witness, Darleen's Coworker
8. ShadowPatriarch - Prosecution Witness, Maintenance Man
9. vv221 - Officer on Scene, Bathroom
10. Habanerose - Officer on Scene, Bathroom
11. REDVWIN - Officer on Scene, Bathroom
12. bler144 - Prosecution Witness, Darleen's Coworker

Tally:
6 votes for hearing the coworker speak
4 votes for the officer in the bathroom
2 vote for hearing the maintenance man speak

DAY 5
1. ZFR - Officer on Scene, Bathroom
2. Yezemin - Officer on Scene, Bathroom
3. sunshinecorp - Prosecution Witness, Maintenance Man
4. DyNaer - Prosecution Witness, Maintenance Man
5. Maxvorstadt - Prosecution Witness, Maintenance Man
6. yogsloth - Prosecution Witness, Maintenance Man
7. ashwald - Prosecution Witness, Maintenance Man
8. ShadowPatriarch - Prosecution Witness, Maintenance Man
9. vv221 - Officer on Scene, Bathroom
10. Habanerose - Officer on Scene, Bathroom
11. REDVWIN - Officer on Scene, Bathroom
12. bler144 - Prosecution Witness, Maintenance Man

Tally:
7 votes to hear the maintenance man speak
5 votes for the officer in the bedroom

DAY 6
1. ZFR - ALREADY GIVEN VERDICT
2. Yezemin - Are there pandas at the end? Let's find out!
3. sunshinecorp - Ready to rock 'n roll!
4. DyNaer - This better be good.
5. Maxvorstadt - Ain't no cold big enough to stop ME!
6. yogsloth - ALREADY GIVEN VERDICT
7. ashwald - Get the evidence already!
8. ShadowPatriarch - I am quite prepared.
9. vv221 - Ready for the end!
10. Habanerose - ALREADY GIVEN VERDICT
11. REDVWIN - Move it along!
12. bler144 - I'm ready!

*****THE CASE*****
Dean Gruber had been living in Carlton Towers for about two years, and something always seemed to be going wrong. When he came home from work Tuesday evening, his new roommate was in the bathroom, mopping up a puddle of water.
"It started fifteen minutes ago," Archie explained. "I pounded on the door of the apartment upstairs. No one's home, and the doorman's not answering the intercom."
Dean looked up at the bathroom ceiling. Water was dripping between the seams of the cheap acoustic tiles. "Darleen's apartment."
"Didn't she give you a key for emergencies?" Archie asked.
"Yeah. I hope nothing's wrong."
Dean and Archie walked up one flight. Dean knocked on the door, then finally flipped through his keys, finding the one labeled "Darleen".

"Inside her place, it was deadly quiet," Dean later told the police. "Archie turned one way, to the bathroom. I turned the other, to the bedroom. Darleen's body was behind the bed; so it took me a little while to see it. I called out. As soon as Archie came and saw the blood, he started to heave. He was heaving so hard that he popped a button on his shirt. He wanted to look around for it, but I said no."
"On the way out of the apartment, I heard water running. I went into the bathroom and turned off the sink taps. I know I shouldn't have touched anything, but I didn't want the flooding to get worse."

Darleen Dangerfield had moved to town six months earlier and became involved with Krypsyn, an ex-mafioso. On the day of the murder, she told a coworker that she was nervous. Her boyfriend was going to drop over that evening. She was hoping to end their tempestuous relationship once and for all and wasn't sure how he would react.

ALL RISE!
Bring in the defendant!
In the defendant's chair, we have:
Krypsyn, an ex-mafioso with a shady past. He's known as "the prettiest princess" for his tendency to look suspicious to the cops yet always get away without being arrested. After turning over a new leaf, he currently works as a projectionist in the movie theater close to Carlton Towers.

The defense enters the court! Weaving his web of a case, it is the spidery Mr. Dolomedes Amrit, esq., from Amrit, Amrit, and Amrit legal services. For all your legal needs, go to 9037 Lawsuit Lane!
(this introduction sponsored by Amrit, Amrit, and Amrit legal services®)

The prosecution enters the court! The winter cometh, as Ms. Snow Katt, esq., walks to the defendant.
Her associate, Mr. Book Wyrm, provides the opening statement.

Prosecution: "We will introduce witnesses who will testify to Mr. Krypsyn's jealous rages. Indeed, the victim told friends they were going to be meeting that night and she was afraid. Krypsyn arrived at Darleen's prepared for murder. It took him only a minute to do it, using a knife from the kitchen. We will show how, after brutally stabbing her to death, Krypsyn set up the bathroom sink to overflow, knowing that this would cause the body to be discovered. And why did he want it discovered so quickly? Because at that particular moment, he had an alibi. Mr. Krypsyn, you see, works as a projectionist in a movie theater only a few steps from Carlton Towers. Between changing reels, he had twenty minutes, plenty of time to sneak out and run through the apartment tower's rear entrance, using the key Ms. Dangerifeld had given him just a month before. Minutes later, he was back in the privacy of his booth, where he had another full hour before his break, all the time he needed to clean up and dispose of his bloody clothing."

Defense: "(sarcastically) What bloody clothing?
Was any blood at all found in the project booth or on my client?

No. Ms. Dangerfield did not ask my client to her apartment that evening.

Why would she?
He was working.
No one saw him leave the theater or enter Carlton Towers.
And as for having access, so what?
The doorman had keys to her apartment. So did the downstairs neighbor.

All the Prosecution has is the hearsay of a friend who said Ms. Dangerfield was meeting her boyfriend.

Is that enough evidence to convict a man of murder? I think not."

*****JURY'S JUDGEMENT*****
1. ZFR - Not Guilty, Day 2, #2
2. Yezemin - Not Guilty, Day 6, #5
3. sunshinecorp - Not Guilty, Day 6, #1
4. DyNaer - Not Guilty, Day 6, #8
5. Maxvorstadt - Not Guilty, Day 6, #3
6. yogsloth - Guilty, Day 5 - JUROR PLANTED BY THE MAFIA
7. ashwald - Not Guilty, Day 6, #6
8. ShadowPatriarch - Not Guilty, Day 6, #2
9. vv221 - Not Guilty, Day 6, #4
10. Habanerose - Not Guilty, Day 2, #1
11. REDVWIN - Not Guilty, Day 6, #7
12. bler144 - Not Guilty, Day 6

*****CLUES*****
Puzzlemaster's challenge:
Solve the mystery by day 3.

DAY 1
Puzzlemaster's thoughts:
An ex-mafioso on trial? Whoo, boy. This should be an interesting one. I wonder if that "ex" part is even true...

Evidence revealed: Prosecution Witness, Doorman
Prosecution: "When did Ms Dangerfield come in?"
Doorman: "She came in at 6:15 P.M. She said she was expecting a guest within the hour. I've seen Mr. DeLucce for some time, although not quite of my own intention. She didn't mention him by name."
Prosecution: "What can you tell the court about this Mr. DeLucce?"
The doorman narrowed his eyes.
Doorman: "I don't say nothin' lady, in this place. Seni mafya'dan kimse kurtaramaz. Ask me something different, yes?"
Prosecution: "Can you tell the court, Mr. Gold, if any of the guests arrived through the main door?"
Doorman: "No. And I was on the desk from 6:15 right up until 7:20. That's when Mr. Gruber called down and told me the police were coming."
Defense cross-examination: "You were at the desk from 6:15 to 7:20? Mr. Gruber's roommate, Archie Manford, says he called the front desk at about 7:10 and no one answered."
Doorman: "Well, I was there. Although I might've stepped outside in the front for a smoke or something. I don't know. Can I go now? I do not like this grin on the face of the man in the defendant chair."

DAY 2
Puzzlemaster's thoughts:
I'm a bit concerned by how unwilling the doorman was to say much about Krypsyn. If that testimony is true, then it would seem like Archie never phoned and the defendant never entered the building (or, at least, not through the front door). If it's false, however, that could throw this whole case in a tizzy. That Turkish phrase he uttered might bear translating...

Evidence Revealed: Officer on Scene, Bedroom
Officer: "No liftable prints, other than Ms. Dangerfield's, were obtained from the bedroom.
Prosecution: "Did anything else in the bedroom catch your attention?"
Officer: "Well, we discovered a white button on the rug between the body and the wall. This proved to be from Archie Manford's shirt. In addition, we found a photograph, a torn photograph. It was hidden behind a framed picture of Ms. Dangerfield on the bureau. It showed Ms. Dangerfield, presumably posed beside another person who had been torn out of the picture. We tried to trace it but haven't had any luck."
The photograph shows Darleen standing in the snow with a man's arm around her shoulder. In the background is a lighted Christmas tree.

DAY 3
Puzzlemaster's thoughts:
Who could the man in the picture be? It seems awfully unlikely for it to be Krypsyn since the only reason somebody tears a photo like that is out of rage, and it seemed that Darleen was ready to break up with him gently, in a face-to-face way. But then, if not him, who could it be? Also, I wonder who else will have the guts to face the Puzzlemaster's challenge day.

Evidence Revealed: Courtroom Evidence, Cecil's Box
The box was full of red herrings! Buried under all the fish was a note: "Somebody in this courtroom is a traitor."

DAY 4
Puzzlemaster's thoughts:
Now, this is interesting. Was this really a false clue? What could "traitor" mean, and why would Cecil be warning us of this? Who is this "traitor"? Is there even a "traitor" at all? The note WAS buried under a pile of red herrings...

Evidence revealed: Prosecution Witness, Darleen's Coworker
Darleen's coworker: "I met Darleen when she moved here in April, six months ago. She wan't very talkative, but now and then she'd mention Krypsyn and how possessive he was."
Defense cross-examination: "Did Ms. Dangerfield say it was Mr. DeLucce who was coming over that night?"
Darleen's coworker: "No. She just said "my boyfriend." She might have said "ex-boyfriend" once. I don't remember.
Defense: "So, she could have been expecting someone other than Mr. De Lucce."
Darleen's coworker: "I guess. Darleen didn't talk a lot about her love life."

DAY 5
Puzzlemaster's thoughts:
Interesting. This brings up the possibility of a third party. If Krypsyn wasn't who Darleen was expecting, then who? But then, this way this new evidence has been presented also intrigues me. Why has the defense brought in an entirely new lawyer just to ask one small question? And on top of that, why one so inexperienced?

Evidence revealed: Prosecution Witness, Maintenance Man
Prosecution: "Describe what you discovered in the garbage the morning after the murder."
Maintenance man: "There was something clogging the chute between the fourth and fifth floors."
Prosecution: "Didn't Miss Dangerfield live on the fifth floor?"
Maintenance man: "Yep. Right there next to the chute in question. Sopping wet towels were clogging the chute. Also, a pair of gloves rested atop the clump. Now, this particular chute runs right near Ms. Dangerfield's apartment, so I knew better than to touch anything to get a better look at it."
Puzzlemaster: "Considering that you and Mr. DeLucce used to be part of the mafia, are you related in any way? Part of the same mob, maybe?"
Maintenance man: "Yes, Mr. DeLucce did work for me for a while at the company. He was a good sort: always on time, always efficiently did his job, always got along with everyone. Particularly the ladies; ever popular that one. You know the type."
The black leather gloves are admitted into evidence. They are men's large, the same size worn by the accused.

DAY 6
Puzzlemaster's thoughts:
Perhaps I'm still upset over the loss of Puzzle-Bot, but something seems very wrong to me. Is the Gogfather, somebody directly related to Krypsyn, a reliable witness? Assuming he were still in league with the mob, Mr. DeLuise might very well have planted false evidence to protect the defendant. But then, why would the gloves fit him?

Puzzlemaster: "It says here in the report that you found fingerprints in the bathroom. Would you kindly explain to the court the details of this?"
Officer: "We did a thorough sweep of the bathroom. Prints matching the deceased's were found all over the room. Prints matching the accused's were found on the counter and mirror. We lifted a different set of prints from the sink's faucet handles. These were matched with those of Dean Gruber. Aside from fingerprints, a wad of toilet paper had been stuffed into the sink's overflow drain, which forced the water to pour out onto the floor."
Puzzlemaster: "So, wait, no prints from the accused were on the faucet? Shouldn't those have been found too if he'd been in the apartment anywhere within the last few days?"
Officer: "Yes, I would think so."


Since there was not enough evidence to convict, the jury found Krypsyn DeLucce not guilty.
The Puzzlemaster, however, had an interesting idea about wet towels and running water, and reported it to the district attorney. A week later, the local papers announced the arrest of Archie Manford.
Following the Puzzlemaster's lead, the police discovered that Archie and Darleen had been seriously involved, and that Darleen moved to town to get away from him. A few months later, Archie followed and, unknown to Darleen, moved in directly below her. One day, he approached her in the park. Darleen was frightened, but agreed to a meeting at her place. It was during this confrontation that he knifed her to death.
Only after Archie went downstairs to clean up did he notice the missing button. And then he recalled Darleen pulling at his shirt. He knew he had to return to the scene and account for the incriminating button before the police arrived. Dean had once mentioned having a key to Darleen's apartment. Somehow Archie had to get him to open her door. He didn't call the doorman because he wasn't sure what the building's protocol was. He might not have been allowed to accompany the doorman inside.
He removed the heap acoustic tile from the bathroom ceiling of his and Dean's apartment and placed three sopping wet towels on top of it. When Dean came home, the towels provided a realistic impression of a bathroom leak from the apartment upstairs.
It didn't matter whether Darleen's sink was overflowing or not. The link could just has easily have come from another source. But, finding himself alone in the bathroom, Archie turned on the faucets and blocked the overflow drain. By the time he and Dean finished inspecting the body and he played his pop-the-button charade, the flood had developed enough to be convincing.

Here's a handy-dandy list of the characters of this spectacle:
Case Members
Darleen Dangerfield - Deceased. A woman who lived in the room directly above Dean Gruber and Archie Manford. Recently became involved with the defendant and was supposed to break up with him the evening of the murder.
Dean Gruber - A single man who shares a room with Archie Manford at the Carlton Towers. Has an average build and seems a bit clueless.
Archie Manford - Roommate to Dean Gruber. He's a little more slovenly than his roommate, and seems very agitated over the murder. Acts particularly sensitive to the sight of blood.
Krypsyn DeLucce - In his mafia days, he was known as "the prettiest princess" due to his remarkable ability to draw suspicion from investigators yet always get away clean. He has a strong build, a smug expression, and never quite seems to get to the point.
Zea Gold - A man who recently emigrated from Eastern Europe and got a job as a doorman at Carlton Towers. He seems to be afraid of Krypsyn for some reason.
Officer A. Zhdar - An eagle-eyed member of the force who misses no detail.
Zeo Goldilocks - A coworker of Darleen. Every so often, she casts a haughty glance over at the Puzzlemaster, and occasionally makes references to her "darling brother". It would appear that the two of them are related.
Dominick DeLuise - Also known as "The Gogfather", he notoriously runs the GOG mafia. He claims to have gotten an honest job now working as a maintenance man. The Puzzlemaster seems particularly distraught over his last encounter with DeLuise's men, mourning the loss of Puzzle-Bot.
Officer Fantas Y. Sci - A proud member of the force, she is responsible for taking fingerprints on this case. Police car #5 is hers, and she takes excellent care of it.

Court Members
The Puzzlemaster - Me! A lover of puzzles who's responsible for running this court. Only as serious as he needs to be, this constant jester has a pack of sentient puzzle pieces as well as a mystical force known as The Oddness which he uses to get out of tricky situations. Legend has it he once escaped from a town by building a puzzle robot, which was later dismantled by the mafia.
The judge - A wise man who never speaks except through the Puzzlemaster, but always passes down the correct verdict every time.
Dolomedes Amrit, esq. - A defense attorney with a spidery appearance who spins complicated webs to guard his clients.
Spray V. War, esq. - A defense attorney recently hired by Amrit, Amrit, and Amrit legal services. His inexperience shows, but he is very enthusiastic.
Snow Katt, esq. - A catlike prosecuting attorney ready to viciously pounce on any criminal. Known in the mafia as "Fang" and works as an arsonist and jewel thief.
Book Wyrm, esq. - A bespectacled, meek, bookish prosecuting attorney with a dry wit. Despite his underwhelming manner, he's actually quite skilled. He's arrived to fill in for Ms. Katt's absence. Known in the mafia as "#627" due to his 627 different legal forgery tricks he knows.

Jurors
ZFR - A lover of gold who gave an impressive performance during the last trial. He's back again to make sure that justice is carried out.
Yezemin - A silent master lurker who stealthily sneaks in and out of the courtroom. You don't even know she's there until she speaks.
sunshinecorp - The Lemmy-lovin' hard rocker who came prepared with his grill in the last trial after seeing the dismal choices of food in the cafeteria. Donated a code in a dark alley for the lucky winner.
DyNaer - A Frenchman with pointy ears who's fond of elvish women. New to court, he's putting both his English and mental skills to the test.
Maxvorstadt - A Munich city district that came to life, he hunts for geheimnisse with an angst to taste the elusive Habanerose soup, and was accidentally called to jury duty while pursuing the crafty little pepper.
yogsloth - The madcap newcomer who hopes that his experience playing Mafia will help him in distinguishing whether this ex-mafioso is guilty or not. As a precaution against his nature, all tables have been removed from the courtroom. He secretly works as a mafia member known as Yoggy the Sloth.
ashwald - After jumping in from the audience last time, he's ready to join the case from the beginning! His experience might prove useful...or not.
ShadowPatriarch - Coming from the glorious shadowlands, he was sent by a divine vision in the night. He sits on the bench with a mysterious aura about him. Watch that left eye!
vv221 - The Linux-loving programming genius who hails from France. He possesses great mental capacity and looks to push himself to his limit.
Habanerose - Constantly dodging getting added to soups, this little French pepper packs a mind as great as his ranking on the Scoville scale. Try not to get burned!
REDVWIN - The mind from Mexico! Might wear a red bandanna and play a cool piano, but that's none of my business. He's excited to play, but will excitement be enough to carry him to the answer?
bler144 - The seemingly unassuming smurf who completely wiped the floor with the entire court on the last trial by nailing the correct answer long before anybody else even got close. He's back again, but will he conquer this greater challenge?

Audience Members
Cecil Vensetti- A friendly yet loud fishmonger looking to sell his fish to the court. He might have some insight to share on the case, though. - FLED FROM COURT
Djaron Djestere - Yet another Frenchman. These guys just keep poppin' out of the woodwork. He watches and jests, but knows more than he lets on.
Omega Alpha - His Eternal Squidliness sits in the throng, quietly lurking among the lesser beings. What mystical and unfathomable miasmas of thought flow through his mind? ...whatever the cafeteria is serving for lunch, probably.
Samurai Fox - A master of the art of shoot-'em-ups, he sits patiently in the crowd of people.....sipping green tea....staring......quietly. Basically, if you don't throw something at him to throw off that freakin' creepy concentration of his, I will.
Dessim Mu - He's stumbled into court with a bottle of rum in hand, so either that's really good or really, really bad.
A soup stand - The best soup seller on GOG has apparently set up shop in court. Maybe he'll serve up some justice. Soup's on!
Tauto Taunto - Some homeless bum making his living by mocking others who's snuck in. Could he actually know anything? ...probably not.
The Gnostic - A faceless monk of some sort who's wandered into the court, popping up at odd times. He and ShadowPatriarch seem to share a rivalry or mutual dislike of some sort.

*****RESULTS PART 1*****
Here's where I analyze the explanation PMs I got, one-by-one, in order of their arrival:

1. bler144: "Ok, so Archie is "the boyfriend" Darleen referred to breaking up with, not Krypsyn. The text is just (cleverly) written as is to lead us to make that conflation that boyfriend must mean Krypsyn.
The telling piece is ""Archie turned one way, to the bathroom. I turned the other, to the bedroom...On the way out of the apartment, I heard water running. I went into the bathroom and turned off the sink taps. I know I shouldn't have touched anything, but I didn't want the flooding to get worse."

Given the delay in finding the body, Archie should have easily identified the source of the leak, and turned off the taps. But did not. Why? At the time the body had not yet been found, so he surely would not have thought to avoid turning them off b/c the space was a crime scene.
However, that tends to indicate that he (Archie) would not have left prints when initially turning the taps on. Turning them off would have been a good explanation for having his prints on them, yet he chose not to."

- Honestly, you were the first far before anybody else before I convinced you to take back your verdict with my accidental screw-up, so it's only fair I deal with you first. But really, what can I say? You pretty much hit the nail on the head and beat everybody to the punch by figuring it out lickety-split. Again. I apologize for making you change your mind on the verdict and now realize that was kind of a dumb idea on my part. My concern was that you'd miss the part about the toilet paper in the sink. Archie went into the bathroom, sure, but that doesn't make him guilty. What makes him guilty is the fact that he plugged it. You also failed to mention the button as well. However, a good number of people overlooked these details, and you were right about the basics of it. Excellent job!

2. Habanerose: While Mr. Krypsyn's past as a member of the mafia might make him suspicious, there are already some clues and inconsistencies that seem both to point towards his innocence and towards another culprit:

- Darleen has been involved with Mr. Krypsyn, and intended to end her relationship with her boyfriend on the day of the murder, and while still a possibility she was refering to him, there might very well have been another man in her life. (as the co-worker hasn't confirmed the name of her boyfriend... yet)

- After having mentioned how nervous (almost afraid) she was at her current boyfriends reaction, it seems odd that she decided to meet him at her appartment (even more so, if the boyfriend in question was the defendant, as being an ex-mafiosi, he could've easily killed her) rather than a public place, or at least have someone else present during their meeting. Also the timing, during his break, seemed rather odd.

Also the behavior of Mr. Archie Manford seems rather suspicious:

- When entering her place, when both men split up, Mr. Gruber discovered the body "after a while" behind the bed, while Mr. Manford inspected the bathroom, yet despite it being the initial reason to enter her appartment, he didn't think of turning off the overflowing sink (which should probably be anyone's initial / natural reaction in this situation), which only was done once they attempoted to exit the appartment, and not by him, but Dean Gruber.

- When he entered the bedroom his first reaction was to bend over rather abruptly (assuming this was meant by "heave so hard", that's at least what Google returned) and popping off one of the buttons of his shirt. Whether or not it was a reaction of shock due to the bloody corpse, or a well-planned act to be able to inspect, and possibly leave fingerprints in the room, is another question (reaon for me voting on evidence from the bedroom).

- Also, he knew Mr. Gruber had a second key to Mrs. Dangerfield appartment, which leaves open the option for him to have made a double from it when Dean didn't pay attention (as he is described as a rather clueless guy), assuming he didn't already have one.
And living in the same building, his presence wouldn't really raise much suspicion.
- And while Mr. Zea Gold seemed quite intimidated and unwilling to cooperate, even making it obvious that he was afraid of the mafia (indirectly pointing towards the defendant based on his past), it can be assumed that it was more related to Mr. Krypsyn's general reputation than any tangible threat (as he might possibly have outright claimed that the defendant wasn't there, should he have received direct threats, rather than just fearing possible retribution should he say too much...). He also interestingly mentioned to not have received any call by Mr. Manford (whether he just missed it or there never was a call to begin with), which seems rather odd.

Conclusion:

Mrs Dangerfield was seeing two men, Mr. Krypsyn and Mr. Manford. And while Mr. Krypsyn might seem the most suspicious at first glance,
things seem to point towards another scenario, another culprit.

This day Darleen decided to end her relationship with Archie, and instead pursue her future with Mr. Prettiest Princess. But Mr. Manford
wouldn't see it that way, and murdered her in affect. And then, most likely unaware of the other man's identity, decided to build himself
an alibi. He intentionally let the sink in her appartment overflow, and then waited for the return of his roommate (of whom he knew that he also
had a key to Mrs. Dangerfield's appartment, and another reason why he didn't call the doorman), Mr Dean Gruber. Once inside, he would split up with him,
making sure that it was Dean who discovered the body. And whether him popping off his button was an accident or a well executed performance,
he planned to at least leave some more fingerprints in the room, so as to erase any suspicion of possible fingerprints of him being found there."

- Once again, you've managed to blow me away with your in-depth analysis. Considering how little evidence you worked off of, you basically got...everything you could possibly get.
To "heave" means to vomit/throw up or at least make the gagging for it without actually doing it. Archie was pretending to be sick in order to explain why his button was missing. You're quite correct about Zea Gold as well, he was just afraid of Krypsyn's history with the mafia, but otherwise gave a reliable testimony. Excellent, top-notch detective work!

3. ZFR: "The murderer is Dean. He had the keys. He purposely left the water running, so he'd have an excuse of going into the apartment with Archie, then he went to bathroom (so when his tracks/prints are found there later there'd be a reason). He also possibly needed the victim to be found soon so Kryspin could be incriminated or to give him an alibi. He also made sure Archie doesn't look for the button.
Other indications for not guilty:
_The way you run this puzzle seems to suggest you want Kryspin to be innocent. And Archie is just too convenient. Almost like you want to jurors to think "if it's not Kryspin it has to be Archie."
_bler thinks he's not guilty. bler is usually right.
_Archie really can't stnad blood."

- You were right that it wasn't Krypsyn, and you had the basic idea for it, just about the wrong person. Archie wasn't too convenient, he was just convenient enough. Although that bler idea sounds pretty solid, though.
Anyway, well done! Correct or not, you had some very solid logic behind it, and that's quite commendable.

*****RESULTS PART 2*****
4. yogsloth: "I've been assuming Archie was a jealous boyfriend of some sort, but I'm content to wait for the final reveal to find the details."

- Well, you were correct about that. Even though you were planted by me, that's worth something.

5. sunshinecorp: "SO... Could it be that the flood was caused just to call the maintanance man into it? So that he would be called as a witness and thus an easy target?"

- Perhaps I missed it, but this is all I remember getting from you so far as an explanation. I remember you also had some interesting theory about a drowning in the tub. It's not a correct suggestion, but it is a fascinating one nonetheless that displays true outside-of-the-box thinking. Also, good job at spotting the mafia so quickly in the short-lived stage 2.

6. ShadowPatriarch: "First of you have Dean and Archie entering the victims apartment, and archie's suspicious behaviour there (not turning off the taps, him "heaving".
2nd, kryspyn couldnt have realistically left the projection booth and then been back in the 20 mins break he had. So all the "evidence" we have against the accused is all pretty much hearsay.
Moreover, the doorman doesnt seem to recall the being called by Archie . Now this isnt much by itself and it could point both ways really, as in even the Doorman is in on the killing or Archie really didnt call, but either way, this is insufficient evidence by itself.
Then you have the more telling evidence of the photo hidden behind a framed picture of the victim. Now this is probably an ex boyfriend of hers, cause why else hide the pic? This again leads to Archie. Sure the photo of the person standing with the victim is torn off, and this again is hearsay, but it starts to make sense that the ex had a quarrel with her and killed her accidentally or otherwise. Either way this seems more compelling than whatever evidence is there against the main accused.
Then the traitor message from the herring business. ofcourse was that to put us off that trail, or was this herring business itself the red herring?.
Also, even the coworker makes a mention of an ex boyfriend.
So (I know this seems a rambling sort of post) but this is why I say the accused is not guilty. Not enough proof to convict him beyond any doubt and this victim was most probably "whacked" by the said ex-boyfriend, who in this case im guessing is Archie. Either way, With what was produced before the court, soups and sausage aside, leads me to vote for NOT GUILTY."

- Excellent work. You addressed every available point and came to a solid conclusion. Very well done!

7. Maxvorstadt: "Well.... I don`t really have a theory, but I have a strong feeling that the whole murder thing was a trap, set up by the mafia or someone in the mafia who doesn`t like him. And there was the thing, if I remember correctly, that he must have rushed from his work in a few minutes and back to it. Also, it seems as if there were no traces of blood on his suit, or else somebody must have seen it. And I don`t think that he had time to change the suit and wash himself in such little time. So, I guess my verdict is right."

- Ooh. I like the different approach you took. You didn't address the main evidence, but you did come at it from an angle that not many considered and tied up a few of the loose ends in the possibilities. Nicely done.

8. vv221: DID NOT GIVE PM EXPLANATION

- While you didn't give an explanation, your logic seemed to be something along the lines of lack of evidence, which is technically correct. You obviously came to the right conclusion, so good job.

9. Yezemin: "There's no special reason really, it's more of a gut feeling. The evidence is sketchy at best and the little there actually is that points towards Krypsyn feels wrong somehow, planted. Something smells fishy and it's not the Red Herrings. Plus the timeframe doesn't fit. I simply don't think Krypsyn would've had time to do the deed. I also think that the traitor hint is real and, in fact, pointing at Krypsyn who betrayed the mob somehow and now they're trying to frame him to get back at him."

-....y'know, I purposefully meant for the "traitor" hint to be vague (it actually implicated snowkatt and Bookwrym, yogsloth wasn't meant to be caught except with the correct evidence), but I never expected somebody to think it applied to the defendant. Now THERE'S an interesting and unique idea. And even though it wasn't quite my intention, you were still right. You predicted fairly early on about Krypsyn's betrayal of the mob, which it didn't seem anybody else had done at that point. Nice work!

10. ashwald: "I think Darleen was theGOGfather's mistress. He more or less admitted to it himself
Killing her I mean, for cheating on him with Krypsyn the ladies man. "I have learned over the years that working directly to fix problems with my own hands gives me time to put things in perspective." sounds a lot like "How dare they disrespect me like this I'll deal with them personally." So yeah, kill the cheating girlfriend, implicate her fling for the crime, live vengefully ever after was the plan here I think. Though it doesn't seem to be working out the way he thought it would, what with him ending up drugged by superstande and Yezemin."

- The Gogfather as the killer? Can't really say that's a reasonable theory considering the late timing of his arrival and the scant evidence to implicate him. I'm not really sure what Yezemin has to do with it either. You seem to do very well at paying attention to what people say and do, and that may prove a useful skill if you decide to join my next court game.

11. REDVWIN: "Mr Krypsyn, the ex-mafioso appears to be clean from the accusation. It looks like it was some kind of reminder from the mafia and that Archie has something to do with that (maybe he just recently joined them or got blackmailed) and, as sloven as he is, things went bad so that's why he heaved a lot while on the murder scene."

- I'm curious what you're referring to as the "reminder". And it seems there's yet another misinterpretation of the word "heave". I keep forgetting that not everybody else is an American. For future reference, if any of you guys don't understand my slang, PLEASE ask me. I'll be happy to rephrase things.
All-in-all, though, you seem to have caught the general drift of it. Archie wasn't involved with the mafia, but it seems that you recognized that Krypsyn was their target.

12. DyNaer: "Prosecution Witness, Doorman : not helpfull at all , could lie / could tell the thruth

Officer on Scene, Bedroom : mention a button, could be the one mentionned in the case or another one ? , so the evidence doesn't prove anything. The only added stuff is the torned out picture..

Cecil's Box : honestly no idea about this...

Prosecution Witness, Darleen's Coworker : not really helpfull

Prosecution Witness, Maintenance Man : the gloves is the only piece of evidence which could accuse Krypsyn...but could have put in the garbage on purpose to accuse him

so not enough evidences, at this point i could only have a theory which doesn't fit in a court :P"

- I like how you went point-by-point about the evidence and analyzed the usefulness of each one.
Curious as to the "theory which doesn't fit in a court", I asked about that and got this response from DyNaer:

"well, there're some evidences (button + doorman if he tells the thruth) which points the responsible could be Archie ,he acted oddly when they found poor Darleen . The man on the picture could be him....He could have put some gloves in the garbage aswell... Plus it's easy to accuse an ex-mafioso. But that's just a theory."

-THIS is the answer I'm looking for. The button and the doorman show Archie's guilt, and yes, he threw the gloves and towel down the garbage chute. That's the kind of logic you have to use for my mysteries. You've picked up on it very well for somebody so new to how the game works. Excellent!


(the "COURT IS NOW IN SESSION" post has been replaced in the interest of fitting in this one)

*Stares at the flaming cheese-covered rug and ponder how the blazes it got there.*

OMEGA, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD... WHY ARE YOU THROWING IT AT ME?! STOP IT! TRYING TO PLAY DODONPACHI ON MY PHONE HERE! GOD!

I just removed Dodonpachi from your phone, problem solved.

Thank God. Finally, somebody did it. I wasn't sure how much longer I could endure that otherworldly focu-
.....
......wait, are you playing a video game?
Well, that explains the otherwordly focus.

I think it was a bit rude to refer to your hair as a flaming cheese-covered rug though.

*puts phone away, grumbling to himself*

Mutter, mutter, grumble....

Huh? My hair's just fi-
.....the heck? Where did the rug come from? Why is it on fire? Who covered it in cheese?!
ALRIGHT, WHICH ONE OF YOU LAMEBRAINS WIPED HIS FEET IN THE HERMIT CAVE?!

Grrr*hiccup*!.. All lynch Krypsyn! Krypsyn lynch! That.. That is the right lynch to do!
I will sleep here in the back for a while...

A young man of modest stature and quite unremarkable features if you forget the long hair and beard that makes him look like he didn’t shave in years enter the court, a laptop under his arm. In absolute silence, he takes a seat on the jury bench, plug in his laptop, and still without a word start typing cryptic lines of code…
After half an hour of seemingly nonsensical activities on his computer, he shuts it down, stand up, and finally speaks.

There’s no doubt that there is more to this bathroom than what meets the eye. No one would let all taps open when someone else is in the flat, knowing that ones bath is obviously delayed. So something must have happened here. Something grim and shady. Something messy that must have left some clues on this whole affair.
Please bring in the bathtub and the officer guarding it to the court, I have questions for both of them.