The Verdict

In 1890, a man convicted of murder is executed at Newgate Prison based on a circumstantial case Grodman assembled. The defendant maintains an alibi with Reverend Hoffman, but Hoffman cannot be located. It later emerges that Hoffman had actually gone to New South Wales, undermining the alibi.

Following the execution, Hoffman, the alibi witness, cannot be traced back to Wales. It later turns out he had traveled to New South Wales, not staying in Wales as claimed. The missing alibi hints at a miscarriage of justice.

Grodman is fired for the miscarriage of justice, and Buckley becomes the new superintendent. Buckley adopts a harsher, more aggressive approach to pursuing Kendall's murder. The stage is set for a renewed push to find the real killer.

Grodman, Kendall, Emmric, and Clive Russell visit Grodman. Grodman reveals plans to write a memoir of his career and hires Emmric to illustrate the dossiers of bodies. Kendall and Russell nearly come to blows, highlighting the tensions among them.

The next day, Kendall is found stabbed to death inside a locked room; Mrs. Benson, his landlady, calls Grodman to break down the door. The locked-room detail becomes a central puzzle for the investigators. Buckley begins the forensic inquiry into the crime's mechanics.

Buckley consults a burglar about the locks, but cannot explain how the crime was committed. He arrests Lottie Rawson, a music-hall singer who argued with Kendall, but she is eventually freed as the lovers’ quarrel is clarified. The investigation narrows but the truth remains elusive.

The unused ticket to Brockton and the murder weapon are found in Clive Russell’s home, casting doubt on his travel alibi. Russell is arrested, tried, and convicted for Kendall’s murder. The defense collapses as new evidence emerges.

Awaiting execution, Russell confesses a new alibi: he was having an affair with a married woman during the time of the murder. He asks Grodman to keep the affair secret, but Grodman traces the woman anyway. It turns out she has just died, complicating any exonerating effort.

At the last moment, Grodman asks Emmric to accompany him to Newgate, where Grodman confesses to the murder. He explains that Kendall was murdered to obtain justice for his aunt and to expose the miscarriage of justice. The locked-room ruse is laid bare, revealing the depths of the deceit.

Grodman reveals that he drugged Kendall so he would not wake, then stabbed him during Grodman’s investigation. He then broke into Russell’s home and planted the murder weapon to frame him. The true scope of the deception becomes clear, exposing the real killer and the flawed conviction.

With Grodman’s confession, Russell is exonerated of Kendall’s murder. The planted weapon is revealed, and the public learns the truth behind the original conviction. The miscarriage of justice is finally acknowledged.

Grodman hands Emmric the manuscript of his memoir, detailing the entire crime so it can be published after the police finish their work. Buckley’s authority is undermined by the exposure of the truth. Emmric is tasked with ensuring the memoir’s publication.