List of Murder One characters
Encyclopedia
This is a list of characters in the ABC
television drama, Murder One
.
) The head of the firm, and a respected veteran defense attorney. He gets Richard Cross cleared for Jessica's murder but is surprised to find himself later defending Neil Avedon for the same murder. He spends much of the first season exploring alternative theories as to who killed Jessica Costello in an attempt to clear Neil's name.
) Justine is highly driven, and her ambition has overridden her better judgment on more than one occasion. She made no secret of her desire to make second chair when Richard Cross was charged, though Ted ultimately chose Lisa. She later began doing business with Cross, which led to Ted firing her after he found out. He later took her back, however, after she gave the firm valuable information regarding Cross.
) A younger attorney, and highly ambitious (though less so than Justine). He served as second chair during the Avedon trial.
) A brilliant legal mind, able to obtain relevant precedents from past cases pertaining to current ones. His intelligence is tempered by his awkwardness in social situations, which has rarely led to him making second chair in cases. A mutual attraction developed between him and Julie Costello, though that ended when she abruptly married Richard Cross.
) Davie Blalock served as the firm's private investigator until he was murdered following up a lead for the Avedon case.
) Ray is a retired police detective whom the firm defended in an assault charge after he attempted to protect a woman from her abusive husband. After Dave Blalock's death, Hoffman hired him as the firm's new investigator.
) Lila is the firm's receptionist. Her role on the series is limited though the firm did defend her fiancee on a charge in an early episode.
) The lead prosecutor in the Avedon trial. Her un-chic wardrobe and simple demeanor belie the fact that she is a fierce and effective prosecutor. Despite the adversarial nature of their jobs, she and Ted are good friends and have a mutual personal and professional respect.
) A detecitve in the LAPD's Robbery/Homicide department, he in charge of investigating the murder of Jessica Costello, arresting Richard Cross, then Neil Avedon for the murder. He and Ted frequently butted heads, though tensions eased between the two after Ted's daughter was abducted.
) The political-minded District Attorney of the county of Los Angeles, with aspirations for being elected Governor of California. His professional decisions appear to based at least as much on how the public perceives him as on what is truly the right course of action.
) The second chair during the Avedon case. He is a younger, less experienced ADA. Though generally competent, he did not endear himself in the eyes of the jury with his aggressive cross-examination of Neil Avedon's mother.
). A millionaire businessman, a longtime acquaintance of Ted's, and the first man arrested for Jessica Costello's murder. The charges are quickly dismissed after Cross produces an alibi and he later bankrolled Neil Avedon's defence, claiming him to be a friend. As time passes, however, Ted becomes convinced that Cross is manipulating events and maybe part of a conspiracy to frame Neil for the murder. Cross was a notorious philanderer and was eventually found to be HIV
positive. Once he could no longer safely engage in sex with others, he would set up Jessica and her sister Julie with men, then obtain sexual gratification by having them describe the encounters in graphic detail.
) A popular movie actor with a long history of misdemeanors, who frequently abused drugs and alcohol. The show began with Ted obtaining a deal for Neil following his latest offence, then angrily dismissing him as a client for his reckless behaviour. Ted later reluctantly took his case after he was arrested for the murder of Jessica (whom he'd been dating).
) Jessica's older sister, and a model with a checkered past of her own, largely due to her romantic involvement with Richard Cross. She was originally set to testify against Cross at Neil's trial but stunned Ted and the entire court with the revelation that she could no longer testify as she and Cross had just eloped.
) Ted's patient and loving wife. She and Ted attempted to shield their young daughter Elizabeth from the heavy public scrutiny of the trial (with limited success). After the trial continued to infiltrate their lives, culminating in Elizabeth being abducted briefly, Annie asked for a separation, and eventually a divorce. After the end of the trial, there were indications the two would reconcile, however.
) The presiding judge over the Avedon trial. She and Ted had been romantically involved several years before he was married, though their relationship in the courtroom was strictly professional.
) Richard's first wife and a close friend of Ted's. She grew tired of his long history of infidelity and divorced him soon after he was cleared of Jessica's murder. She later had a brief affair with Ted after he and Annie separated.
) Neil's psychiatrist, later found to part of a conspiracy to frame Neil. He testified that Neil had called his office the night of Jessica's murder and confessing to the crime. Hoffman attempted to undermine his credibility by presenting evidence that Lester had sexually abused female patients.
) A business associate of Richard Cross' from Brazil, he is in fact a cocaine dealer. Cross asked Ted to represent Roberto's son Eduardo on a rape charge, though Roberto paid the young girl off before he can do anything. After Eduardo is later charged with attempting to strangle another girl, Ted begins to wonder if he had something to do with Jessica's death.
) A producer from the studio that produced Neil's latest movie Deadbolt. He is one of the people mentioned in Jessica's diary and had possibly slept with her, making him a suspect in her murder. He attempted to feign illness to avoid taking the stand, though the ruse was quickly exposed.
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
television drama, Murder One
Murder One (TV series)
Murder One is an American legal drama series that first aired on the ABC network in the United States in 1995. The series was created by Steven Bochco, Charles H. Eglee, and Channing Gibson.-Premise:...
.
Theodore Hoffman
(Daniel BenzaliDaniel Benzali
Daniel Benzali is a Brazilian-American stage, television and film actor.-Biography:Benzali was born in Rio de Janeiro to Brazilian Jewish parents...
) The head of the firm, and a respected veteran defense attorney. He gets Richard Cross cleared for Jessica's murder but is surprised to find himself later defending Neil Avedon for the same murder. He spends much of the first season exploring alternative theories as to who killed Jessica Costello in an attempt to clear Neil's name.
Justine Appleton
(Mary McCormackMary McCormack
Mary Catherine McCormack is an American actress. Best known for her work in television, she has had leading roles as Justine Appleton in the series Murder One , as Deputy National Security Adviser Kate Harper in The West Wing and as Mary Shannon in In Plain Sight .Her film roles include Private...
) Justine is highly driven, and her ambition has overridden her better judgment on more than one occasion. She made no secret of her desire to make second chair when Richard Cross was charged, though Ted ultimately chose Lisa. She later began doing business with Cross, which led to Ted firing her after he found out. He later took her back, however, after she gave the firm valuable information regarding Cross.
Chris Doknovitch
(Michael HaydenMichael Hayden (actor)
Michael Hayden is an actor who has appeared both on the stage and on television.-Biography:Hayden graduated from the Juilliard School.Stage...
) A younger attorney, and highly ambitious (though less so than Justine). He served as second chair during the Avedon trial.
Arnold Spivak
(J.C. MacKenzieJ. C. MacKenzie
J. C. MacKenzie is a Canadian actor.MacKenzie saw his first play as a 21-year-old student at Concordia University. After that, he was accepted at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He made his screen debut in the TV-movie Perry Mason Returns, billed as John C. McKenzie...
) A brilliant legal mind, able to obtain relevant precedents from past cases pertaining to current ones. His intelligence is tempered by his awkwardness in social situations, which has rarely led to him making second chair in cases. A mutual attraction developed between him and Julie Costello, though that ended when she abruptly married Richard Cross.
Lisa Gillespe
(Grace Phillips) Lisa served as Ted's second chair during the Richard Cross case. She was also having a relationship with Chris.Dave Blalock
(Kevin TigheKevin Tighe
Kevin Tighe is an American character actor primarily known for his roles on television. Tighe is best known for his role as Roy DeSoto, a senior paramedic, on the NBC series Emergency! . He and Randolph Mantooth, his partner in the series, have remained close friends...
) Davie Blalock served as the firm's private investigator until he was murdered following up a lead for the Avedon case.
Ray Velacek
(Joe SpanoJoe Spano
Joseph Peter "Joe" Spano is an American actor who came to prominence through his role as Lt. Henry Goldblume on Hill Street Blues and is now well known for his work in NCIS as FBI Special Agent Tobias Fornell....
) Ray is a retired police detective whom the firm defended in an assault charge after he attempted to protect a woman from her abusive husband. After Dave Blalock's death, Hoffman hired him as the firm's new investigator.
Lila
(Vanessa A. WilliamsVanessa A. Williams
Vanessa A. Williams is an American actress who has appeared in several television series such as Melrose Place and the Showtime cable television series Soul Food. In 1996, she was featured in the television series Murder One...
) Lila is the firm's receptionist. Her role on the series is limited though the firm did defend her fiancee on a charge in an early episode.
Miriam Grasso
(Barbara BossonBarbara Bosson
Barbara Bosson is an American actress who has starred on television and in film.-Biography:Bosson was born in Charleroi, Pennsylvania to a tennis coach father. During her childhood, she lived in an American Craftsman Style house on Price Avenue in the borough of North Belle Vernon...
) The lead prosecutor in the Avedon trial. Her un-chic wardrobe and simple demeanor belie the fact that she is a fierce and effective prosecutor. Despite the adversarial nature of their jobs, she and Ted are good friends and have a mutual personal and professional respect.
Detective Arthur Polson
(Dylan BakerDylan Baker
Dylan Baker is an American actor, known for playing supporting roles in both major studio and independent films.-Early life:...
) A detecitve in the LAPD's Robbery/Homicide department, he in charge of investigating the murder of Jessica Costello, arresting Richard Cross, then Neil Avedon for the murder. He and Ted frequently butted heads, though tensions eased between the two after Ted's daughter was abducted.
Roger Garfield
(Gregory ItzinGregory Itzin
Gregory Martin Itzin is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his role as disgraced U.S. President Charles Logan in the television series 24.-Early life:...
) The political-minded District Attorney of the county of Los Angeles, with aspirations for being elected Governor of California. His professional decisions appear to based at least as much on how the public perceives him as on what is truly the right course of action.
Mark Washington
(Markus RedmondMarkus Redmond
Markus Redmond is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Raymond Alexander, in the comedy-drama series Doogie Howser, M.D. co-created by Steven Bochco. Redmond joined the cast at the start of the show's second season in 1990 until the series ended in 1993. He worked with Bochco again...
) The second chair during the Avedon case. He is a younger, less experienced ADA. Though generally competent, he did not endear himself in the eyes of the jury with his aggressive cross-examination of Neil Avedon's mother.
Richard Cross
(Stanley TucciStanley Tucci
Stanley Tucci is an American actor, writer, film producer and film director. He has been nominated for several notable film awards, including an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for his performance in The Lovely Bones...
). A millionaire businessman, a longtime acquaintance of Ted's, and the first man arrested for Jessica Costello's murder. The charges are quickly dismissed after Cross produces an alibi and he later bankrolled Neil Avedon's defence, claiming him to be a friend. As time passes, however, Ted becomes convinced that Cross is manipulating events and maybe part of a conspiracy to frame Neil for the murder. Cross was a notorious philanderer and was eventually found to be HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
positive. Once he could no longer safely engage in sex with others, he would set up Jessica and her sister Julie with men, then obtain sexual gratification by having them describe the encounters in graphic detail.
Neil Avedon
(Jason GedrickJason Gedrick
Jason Gedrick is an American actor best known for his work on the television series Murder One and Boomtown and the motion picture Iron Eagle....
) A popular movie actor with a long history of misdemeanors, who frequently abused drugs and alcohol. The show began with Ted obtaining a deal for Neil following his latest offence, then angrily dismissing him as a client for his reckless behaviour. Ted later reluctantly took his case after he was arrested for the murder of Jessica (whom he'd been dating).
Julie Costello
(Bobbie PhilipsBobbie Phillips
Bobbie Phillips is an American television and film actress.-Career:Born in Charleston, South Carolina 29 January 1972. Phillips moved to Hollywood in 1991 and began working in television soon after. Her first acting job was guest starring with Halle Berry on the short lived Fox comedy They Came...
) Jessica's older sister, and a model with a checkered past of her own, largely due to her romantic involvement with Richard Cross. She was originally set to testify against Cross at Neil's trial but stunned Ted and the entire court with the revelation that she could no longer testify as she and Cross had just eloped.
Annie Hoffman
(Patricia ClarksonPatricia Clarkson
Patricia Davies Clarkson is an American actress. After studying drama on the East Coast, Clarkson launched her acting career in 1985, and has worked steadily in both film and television. She twice won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in Six Feet Under...
) Ted's patient and loving wife. She and Ted attempted to shield their young daughter Elizabeth from the heavy public scrutiny of the trial (with limited success). After the trial continued to infiltrate their lives, culminating in Elizabeth being abducted briefly, Annie asked for a separation, and eventually a divorce. After the end of the trial, there were indications the two would reconcile, however.
Judge Beth Bornstein
(Linda CarlsonLinda Carlson
Linda Carlson is an American actress.Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, she began her career on TV in 1977, and has appeared on numerous shows.-Filmography:*Honey, I Blew Up the Kid ... Nosey Neighbor...
) The presiding judge over the Avedon trial. She and Ted had been romantically involved several years before he was married, though their relationship in the courtroom was strictly professional.
Francesca Cross
(Donna MurphyDonna Murphy
Donna Murphy is an American stage, film, television actress and singer.Murphy has won two Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Musical for her roles in Passion as Fosca and in The King and I as Anna Leonowens...
) Richard's first wife and a close friend of Ted's. She grew tired of his long history of infidelity and divorced him soon after he was cleared of Jessica's murder. She later had a brief affair with Ted after he and Annie separated.
Dr. Graham Lester
(Stanley KamelStanley Kamel
Stanley Kamel was an American actor, best known for his role as Dr. Charles Kroger on the American television series Monk.-Biography:...
) Neil's psychiatrist, later found to part of a conspiracy to frame Neil. He testified that Neil had called his office the night of Jessica's murder and confessing to the crime. Hoffman attempted to undermine his credibility by presenting evidence that Lester had sexually abused female patients.
Roberto Portalegre
(Miguel SandovalMiguel Sandoval
Miguel Sandoval is an American film and television actor.Sandoval was born in Washington, D.C. He began working as a professional actor in 1975 when he joined a mime school in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He later joined the troupe full time and continued his study of mime. He began his film career in...
) A business associate of Richard Cross' from Brazil, he is in fact a cocaine dealer. Cross asked Ted to represent Roberto's son Eduardo on a rape charge, though Roberto paid the young girl off before he can do anything. After Eduardo is later charged with attempting to strangle another girl, Ted begins to wonder if he had something to do with Jessica's death.
Gary Blondo
(John PleshetteJohn Pleshette
John Pleshette is an American actor, perhaps best known for being an original cast member of the long-running primetime television drama Knots Landing playing Richard Avery...
) A producer from the studio that produced Neil's latest movie Deadbolt. He is one of the people mentioned in Jessica's diary and had possibly slept with her, making him a suspect in her murder. He attempted to feign illness to avoid taking the stand, though the ruse was quickly exposed.