Winston Payne

"Winston Payne"

- This... This is insane! What about me!? Don't I get to prosecute anyone!?

Winston Payne is a prosecutor often called the "Rookie Killer" due to his tendency to defeat beginner defense attorneys. He was the first opponent of Phoenix Wright and Apollo Justice. In each Ace Attorney game to date, he has acted as the prosecutor for the first episode.

Law career
According to Payne, he once had a seven-year winning streak. If true this means he held a perfect record for longer than both Miles Edgeworth and Franziska von Karma.

Breakdown

 * Main article: Turnabout Memories

When Payne met Mia Fey on her second foray into the courtroom, he thought little of her, telling her it would all be over soon. When he brought his witness to the stand, he told Fey that he had such faith in his witnesses that he would be willing to die for them. However, Fey proved to be much more competent than he had expected. The witness turned out to be the real culprit; she had tried to kill the defendant, Phoenix Wright, by poisoning his cold medicine. Payne refused to give up, but Fey told him to stay true to his word and eat the medicine to show that Fey was wrong. At this, Payne lost all of his confidence (and his hair) from shock. He would never fully recover.

Loss to another rookie

 * Main article: The First Turnabout

Three years later, Payne met Wright in another murder trial, this time as a lawyer fresh out of school. Like his mentor Fey before him, Wright quickly exposed Payne's witness as the real killer. Later, he would cheekily remark that he taught Wright everything he knew.

Another loss to Wright

 * Main article: The Lost Turnabout

"Phoenix Wright"

- ...This person...I haven't got a clue...He seems to know me, but maybe he's mistaking me for someone else...?

Payne faced Wright in another murder trial, but Wright had lost his memory due to a run-in with Payne's witness prior to the trial. Payne was eager to defeat his new nemesis, and even had an advantage with Wright's memory loss. Nonetheless, with the help of his client, Wright was able to pull off another victory, once again exposing the witness as the real killer. Even when Wright later regained his memory, he couldn't remember Payne at all.

Foiled again

 * Main article: The Stolen Turnabout

A year later, Payne prosecuted for the trial of Luke Atmey, who Phoenix Wright had previously implicated as the infamous thief Mask☆DeMasque. He was moving toward an easy win, but Wright burst into the courtroom, claiming that Atmey was not Mask☆DeMasque but the killer of Kane Bullard, CEO of KB Security. Wright's accusation succeeded, which by the double jeopardy law also caused a not guilty verdict for the charge of theft; Wright had caused Payne to lose again without even being the opponent!

False victory

 * Main article: Recipe for Turnabout

Two months later, Payne faced Wright again in court and finally won. However, Wright had performed unusually badly during that trial, and indeed, he turned out to be an imposter. Wright appealed the case and won.

Other whereabouts

 * Main article: Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth

Payne was spotted watching the police investigation of the murder of a detective, standing right outside the Prosecutor offices beyond the crime scene tape.

Another rookie

 * Main article: Turnabout Trump

Seven years later, Wright became a suspect in another murder trial, and a new attorney, Apollo Justice, represented him. By this time, Payne had managed to regrow some of his hair. However, Justice, with the guidance of his mentor Kristoph Gavin and Wright, implicated Payne's witness as a potential suspect. Wright then began to suggest that a fourth person, one other than him, the witness and the victim, had entered the crime scene and committed the murder. Eventually, Gavin was exposed as this fourth person. As the trial had mostly been a debate between Gavin and Wright, Payne wondered whether he had done anything.

Personality
Payne is overconfident but easy to rattle. He has some problems with articulating his arguments clearly in court. He used to be more confident and arrogant prior to his run-in with Mia Fey in Turnabout Memories, taking every opportunity to taunt her and her inexperience. He also had a full head of hair to complement his arrogant attitude. He appears to view Wright as his rival and desperately wishes to defeat him in court, however Wright doesn't appear to recall the "Rookie Killer" at all.

Name

 * His English name is a pun on the expression "winced in pain".


 * The name "Auchi" (亜内) is a Japanese Romanization of the English word "Ouch."


 * A "boulet" is a person who always does things incorrectly.

Development

 * In original drafts of Turnabout Sisters, Payne was a defense attorney representing Wright against Miles Edgeworth (the original 37-year-old version).


 * It is claimed he was named after a dentist of one of the staff members.