The Devil's Playground (Case #36) is the thirty-sixth case of the game.
Case Background
The victim was a teenager and a Student in Grimsborough College named Tom Blackwater. He was found tied up like a scarecrow, seeping with blood. The killer was an Amish farmer named Ezekiel Hersberger.
Tom wanted to buy Ezekiel's land and was also in love with Hannah Hersberger, Ezekiel's daughter. He wanted to take Hannah away from the Amish community, but Ezekiel couldn't let this happen as it was against the Amish rules to love a non-Amish. One day in the Amish farm, Ezekiel confronted Tom and the victim boasted about how much Hannah loved him and that she would choose him over Ezekiel any day. This angered Ezekiel to the fullest and he jumped on a horse and chased him with a pitchfork. Ezekiel strung up the victim like a scarecrow to symbolise that he wanted the non-Amish to stay away. Ezekiel called the outside world "The Devil's Playground" and hated the outside world. He wanted Tom's scarecrow death to symbolise outsiders to be scared off.
To ensure that the police was not offending the Amish, Grace agreed with the Chief that she would tend for Isaac during the investigation, while Nathan would do Grace's duties in her absence from the forensics lab. Grace wore Amish clothes in that case, in order to show respect to the community. Jones didn't want to take any of the suspects to the interrogation room since he knew that doing this on an Amish would be disrespectful.
Victim
- Tom Blackwater (found tied up like a scarecrow, seeping with blood)
Murder Weapon
- Pitchfork
Killer
- Ezekiel Hersberger
Suspects
.png "Suspect 1 (Isaac Hersberger).png (268 KB)")
.png "Suspect 2 (Ezekiel Hersberger).png (366 KB)")
.png "Suspect 3 (Madison Springer).png (379 KB)")
.png "Suspect 4 (Dylan Cobbs).png (360 KB)")
.png "Suspect 5 (Hannah Hersberger).png (309 KB)")
Killer's Profile
- The killer rides horses.
- The killer wears boots.
- The killer has blond hair.
- The killer is 6 feet tall. (1.83m)
- The killer wears a hat.
Crime Scenes
Steps
Chapter 1
- Investigate Amish Farm. (Clues: Victim's Body, Rope, Bible)
- Autopsy The Victim's Body. (18:00:00)
- Talk to Isaac about the murder. (Available after playing Amish Farm as a task)
- Talk to Ezekiel about Isaac. (Prerequisite: Talk to Isaac)
- Examine Rope. (Result: Hair)
- Examine Hair. (Evidence: Killer rides horses)
- Examine Bible Page.
- Talk to Madison about the Bible. (Prerequisite: Examine Bible Page; Unlocks: Student Bedroom)
- Investigate Student Bedroom. (Clue: Student Belongings)
- Examine Student Belongings. (Result: Confidential Compact Disc)
- Analyze Confidential Compact Disc. (06:00:00)
- Talk to Dylan about his land-buying activity. (Prerequisite: Confidential CD analyzed)
- Examine Shoeprint. (Prerequisite: Victim's Body Autopsied; Evidence: Killer wears boots)
- Go to Chapter 2. (No stars)
Chapter 2
- Investigate Kissing Spot. (Available after going to Chapter 2; Clues: Pitchfork, Pile of Dirt)
- Examine Pitchfork. (Result: Bloodied Fibers)
- Analyze Bloodied Fibers. (12:00:00) (Result: Pitchfork is murder weapon; Evidence: Killer has Blonde Hair)
- Examine Pile of Dirt. (Result: Faded Note)
- Examine Faded Note. (Result: Lover's Vow)
- Talk to Hannah about the lovers' vow. (Prerequisite: Lover's Vow unraveled)
- Quiz Dylan about Tom. (Available after going to Chapter 2)
- Investigate Jumbled Room. (Prerequisite: Dylan quizzed about Tom; Clue: Victim's Laptop)
- Examine Victim's Laptop. (Result: Friendnet Account)
- Analyze Friendnet Account. (03:00:00)
- Question Madison about her mind game with Tom. (Prerequisite: Friendnet Account Analyzed)
- Go to Chapter 3. (1 star)
Chapter 3
- Investigate Picnic Area. (Clue: Broken Phial)
- Examine Broken Phial. (Result: Poison Phial)
- Examine Poison Phial. (Result: Poison)
- Analyze Poison. (12:00:00)
- Inform Ezekiel about his daughter. (Prerequisite: Poison Phial Analyzed)
- Investigate Cart Lane. (Clues: Feeding Trough, Broken Sign)
- Examine Feeding Trough. (Result: Stirrup)
- Analyze Stirrup. (06:00:00) (Evidence: Killer stands 6'0")
- Examine Broken Sign. (Result: Sign--Ezekiel, Isaac, Hannah, and Madison rides horses)
- Talk to Hannah after her suicide attempt. (Prerequisite: Poison Analyzed)
- Examine Isaac's Drawing. (Progress-Sensitive; Result: Drawing)
- Talk to Isaac about his drawing. (Prerequisite: Drawing Examined)
- Arrest Killer. (Prerequisite: All tasks before)
- Go to Additional Investigation. (No stars)
Additional Investigation
- Interrogate Dylan Cobbs.
- Investigate Student Bedroom. (Clue: Briefcase)
- Examine Briefcase. (Result: Confidential File)
- Analyze Confidential File. (06:00:00)
- Show the forged documents to Dylan Cobbs to make him talk. (Reward: 18,000 coins)
- Check up on Isaac Hersberger.
- Investigate Amish Farm. (Clue: Wooden Pieces)
- Examine Wooden Pieces. (Result: Wooden Train)
- Give his train back to Isaac. (Reward: Burger)
- Check how Hannah Hersberger is doing.
- Investigate Kissing Spot. (Clue: Pile of Leaves)
- Examine Pile of Leaves. (Result: Hairpin)
- Give the hairpin to Hannah. (Reward: Amish Dress, Amish Haircut)
- Investigate Next Case. (1 star)
Trivia
- After Ezekiel is sentenced, Jones says that he's going to the Sci-Fi Fantasy Festival, which is a reference to the next case, "The Reaper and the Geek".
- This case, Family Blood, (Case #15), The Wollcrafts' Creature (Case #30) and An Elementary Murder (Case #40) are the only cases in which there are three suspects from the same family.
- This is the only case in the University district which does not feature any of the suspects from The Rorschach Reaper (Case #41). However, it does feature that case's victim, Madison Springer.