Mr. Ricco

A liberal, lonely widower who works as a defense attorney for the accused. He champions due process and uses his intelligence to uncover hidden evidence. His professional confidence is matched by personal warmth, including a romance with Katherine Fremont. He struggles with the moral weight of freeing a guilty man, revealing his own sense of responsibility.

Leader of the Black Serpents and the man at the center of the case. He projects charisma and menace, manipulating the system while evading capture. He denies killing Mary Justin but his conniving nature makes him a persistent threat. The finale hints at a dangerous ambiguity surrounding his guilt.

The detective in charge, quick to anger at Steele’s escape and determined to close the case. He coordinates raids and keeps a wary eye on Joe Ricco’s motives. Cronyn embodies the gritty, rule-bound side of law enforcement and its tensions with a reformist attorney.

A gallery visitor who becomes Ricco’s love interest. She appears at the art exhibit and provides a human connection amid danger and intrigue. Katherine’s presence offers Ricco a reminder of ordinary life and moral clarity in a murky case.

Purvis Mapes’s sister who works in an art gallery. She asks Ricco to defend her brother, becoming a catalyst for uncovering evidence against Tanner. Irene embodies the cultural side of the story, bridging art and legal drama.

The Mapes brother who seeks legal help for Purvis’s chosen path. He becomes a link between Irene and Ricco, eventually guiding Ricco to the location of pivotal information about Steele. His position highlights the human cost of police corruption.

Purvis’s brother, who is killed by a racist cop in a troubling early moment of escalation. His death becomes a catalyst for Ricco’s investigation and for Cronyn’s pursuit of the truth. Calvin’s fate underscores the stakes of the case.

A racist police officer who commits murder and plants evidence, representing the systemic corruption plaguing the investigation. He is a brutal obstacle to justice and a foil to Ricco’s integrity. The pursuit of truth ultimately exposes his wrongdoing.