| “ | I've always fought crime in the way that I see fit. I have no regrets. None at all. And that's all I came here to say. So...good day to you. | „ |
| ~ Courtney Sithe's perspective. |
| “ | You'll never understand! None of you! What we've had to keep covered up all these long years... | „ |
| ~ Sithe's villainous breakdown. |
Courtney Sithe (formerly known as Courtney Stevens) is a major antagonist in The Great Ace Attorney duology, being one of the two main antagonists (alongside Enoch Drebber) of the third case of the second game, "The Return of the Great Departed Soul". She is the Head Coroner of Scotland Yard and an expert on forensic sciences.
She is also one of The Professor conspirators, since she worked on the autopsy of the Professor's "final victim." Sithe is also revealed to be the true murderer of Odie Asman.
Biography[]
Past[]
The Professor Conspiracy[]
When she was known by the surname of Courtney Stevens, Courtney was studying as an assistant of Professor John Wilson alongside the then-exchange student Professor Yujin Mikotoba. One day, they were tasked with performing an autopsy on Klint Van Zieks, one of The Professor's victims. Having been tasked by Mael Stronghart to clear up the real identity of The Professor, John H. Wilson claimed to encounter a ring in the stomach of Klint when both of his assistants weren't looking (Mikotoba had his doubts, but ultimately couldn't refute the evidence at hand).
With that piece of evidence, it was possible to arrest the supposed Professor, Genshin Asogi and try him in court, where he would be found guilty and be given the death penalty. However, Genshin actually made a deal with the government to be released after his supposed execution if he admitted guilt in the trial, which would be assisted by Courtney Stevens as the coroner to confirm his supposed death. Asogi would be sent out in a coffin, where he would then be capable of escaping as a free man and returning to his family.
However, when Genshin was getting out of his coffin, Enoch Drebber (who was already accustomed to grave-robbing in that same graveyard) decided to dig up his grave in order to rob him of his belongings. When Enoch discovered that he was actually alive, he was horrified. The two people who were already spying on the event decided to shoot Genshin in order for the conspiracy surrounding him to disappear and never reach the public eye.
Odie Asman[]
While many newspapers caught on to the fact that a dead person rose up from his grave, journalist Odie Asman would reveal the name of Enoch Drebber and ruining his reputation as a student and a future scientist. In the process, Asman would also discover the Professor conspiracy, which included the involvement of the coroner, Courtney. Once Odie found out, he blackmailed and extorted her.
In the following years, Courtney would eventually become Head Coroner of Scotland Yard and have a daughter named Maria Gorey, who she would educate on forensic sciences. Courtney Stevens would eventually don the name of Courtney Sithe.
The Return of the Departed Soul[]
During the Great Exhibition, where many scientific projects would be demonstrated, young Professor Albert Harebrayne and his now turned investor Odie Asman would show his machine of "super-high-voltage instantaneous kinesis", in which Odie Asman would be his test subject. However, when the machine was activated, it started pouring out smoke, eventually exploding alongside another explosion near the Crystal Tower, in which a figure would crash from above the tower, and Odie Asman would eventually be found dead.
During the initial investigation, Courtney would be tasked with investigating the body of Odie Asman which was claimed to have teleported to the upside of the Crystal Tower. However, she only found a mannequin and a note that read that if she did not follow the instructions, the truth of the Professor's conspiracy would be revealed. Sithe would comply, and began following the orders of the note, which read that she had to move the body of Odie Asman, which was actually underneath the teleporting machine and supposedly died from the fall, to the crashing site of the mannequin to keep up the illusion that the machine really worked.
Having her men arrange the crime scene to comply with the orders, Courtney would then personally go underneath the machine and find Odie Asman's body to bring it to the crashing site. She actually found out that Odie was still alive from falling down the machine. Seeing her chance to get revenge and to keep him silent from the conspiracy once and for all, she stabbed him in the heart, finally killing him for good. Sithe then followed the next orders of the note, which would include falsifying the autopsy.
Investigation, Day 2[]
Eventually, Naruhodo and Susato encountered Courtney educating her daughter in more forensic sciences and when she eventually realizes their presence, she tells them to get out of her workplace. However, Naruhodo would encounter the receipt of the massive order of scalpels, which caused him to be suspicious of her. She would later encounter them again alongside Herlock Sholmes, Tobias Gregson, and Gina Lestrade when they found the hiding place of Enoch Drebber.
Trial, Day 2[]
After questioning Enoch for quite a long time, Naruhodo eventually deduces that Courtney could be involved in the case due to inconsistencies on the autopsy file, but because of her position, he couldn't just ask her to step into the witness stand unless it was clear she was related to the case. Naruhodo then had to find evidence that she was connected to the Professor's case, which was then enough for Courtney to be called to the witness stand.
Eventually, he revealed that both of them were involved in the crime with Courtney finally pleading guilty for having been involved in the crime and having moved Odie's corpse to the crystal tower. However, Naruhodo wasn't convinced by this confession, and felt that there was still something that she wasn't telling us, and by having checking his evidence case one more time, he figures out that Courtney was actually trying to hide the fact that she murdered Odie Asman herself when he was revealed to have survived from the fall.
Breakdown[]
Slamming her desk, Courtney yells at the court for their naïveté and ignorance surrounding her involvement. She is seemingly fed up with everything, and angry at the fact that she was going to be the only one punished for her crime.
In the credits, her daughter shows up to her cell to visit her, saying that she's glad that her mother is still alive, despite what she has done.
Trivia[]
- While the third case is already considered one of the most difficult cases to solve in the series, the part where you reveal that Courtney was the actual murderer of Odie Asman is considered the hardest part to reveal in the case, with the actual evidence to point it out (the blood actually dripping down instead of around) being particularly tiny.
- Courtney Sithe is one of the only culprits in the series to show up in the credits, which shows how she is more redeemable and less evil than other culprits in the series.
