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Manfred von Karma
I knew then... it was destiny.

The DL-6 Incident refers to the murder of Gregory Edgeworth that occurred in the elevator of the District Court of Los Angeles in the final days of 2001. The incident directly and indirectly impacted the lives of many people, including but not limited to Manfred von Karma, Miles Edgeworth, Yanni Yogi, and the entire Fey clan. The incident is also what led to Phoenix Wright becoming an attorney, as he only became one after being inspired by Mia Fey (who became an attorney herself following the effects of the incident on the Fey clan).

The DL-6 incident was the only time in which a spirit medium from Kurain Village was used by the police in an investigation. The medium used was Misty Fey, and per her advice, Yanni Yogi was accused of killing Edgeworth. In the ensuing trial, Yogi was acquitted due to him claiming to have suffered temporary insanity. After the police's decision to use a spirit medium was anonymously leaked by Redd White, Fey's reputation was ruined.

It was not until fifteen years later, the very day of expiration of the statute of limitations on the case, that it was finally solved by Phoenix Wright who exposed Manfred von Karma as the true killer in the case.

Buildup[]

Main articles: Turnabout Legacy and IS-7 Incident

The final trial of Gregory Edgeworth was the year-long trial of Samson Tangaroa, in which he faced the veteran prosecutor with a perfect record, Manfred von Karma. Despite losing, Edgeworth managed to prove that von Karma had coerced Tangaroa into confessing to being an accomplice to the murder of Artie Frost. In response to this revelation, the Chief Prosecutor at the time, Excelsius Winner, gave von Karma a penalty, the only one that the veteran prosecutor had ever received. This enraged von Karma, as he had valued perfection and his flawless win record above all else.

The murder in the elevator[]

Liftpeople

Gregory Edgeworth (left), Yanni Yogi (center) and Miles Edgeworth (right) in the fateful elevator.

After the trial, Gregory entered one of the court's elevators with Miles, his young son, along with a bailiff, Yanni Yogi.

Gun Throwing

Miles throwing the gun to try and stop the fight.

An earthquake suddenly shook the building at 2:00 PM and the power to the building was cut, leaving the lift's three passengers trapped and running out of air. At the same time, Manfred von Karma was in the evidence room, distraught over his penalty, and when the lights went out he tried to find his way out of the courthouse. By that time, the atmosphere in the elevator was extremely tense, and Yogi panicked and attacked Gregory. Miles picked up a pistol that had fallen from Yogi's belt and, hoping to make Yogi let his father go, he threw the gun toward them just as von Karma was in front of the elevator trying to use it. Miles accidentally discharged the gun, and the bullet passed through the elevator doors and into von Karma's shoulder. Von Karma let out a hideous scream just as the occupants of the lift lost consciousness.

Immediately afterward, the power returned to the building and the elevator doors opened after five hours of being trapped. Von Karma picked up the gun and shot Gregory Edgeworth in the heart. He then left the crime scene quickly, leaving the police few leads in their investigation.

Channeling and trial[]

Gregory Edgeworth
I am Gregory Edgeworth... I have been killed...
The one who shot me... was the bailiff... Yanni Yogi.
Manfred von Shot

Von Karma's shoulder is shot.

Desperate for leads, the police decided to use a medium in secret to contact the victim. Because of the popularity and power of Kurain Village, they consulted the Master of the Kurain Channeling Technique, Misty Fey. The channeling was a success, but because Gregory lost consciousness before being shot and therefore didn't see his killer, his spirit falsely accused Yogi of shooting him, thinking it could only have been him.

The police then began to gather their evidence to try to convict Yogi, including Miles's testimony. In response to this, Yogi hired Robert Hammond to defend him. However, since the evidence was condemning and Hammond only cared about winning the trial for himself, he convinced Yogi to fake brain damage due to the oxygen deficiency. Through this, Yogi was ruled not guilty of Gregory's murder.

Aftermath[]

Karmaenters

Manfred von Karma entering the elevator, gun in hand.

Gregory's death and Yogi's trial would have a lasting negative impact on most of the participants involved in the incident.

Von Karma went on a six-month "vacation" shortly after the incident to allow his wound to heal without creating a witness out of a doctor. Gregory's son, Miles, was now an orphan; von Karma, upon returning from his convalescing holiday, took him in and raised him to be a ruthless prosecutor with an utter disdain for criminals and a willingness to use methods that were barely legal to maintain his perfect record. Miles also met von Karma's daughter Franziska, with whom he formed a strong sibling bond. Miles developed a phobia of earthquakes and elevators, and he would have nightmares throughout the rest of his life about the hideous scream that he had heard, believing that he had accidentally killed his father, until the incident was finally resolved 15 years later.

Meanwhile, "information seeker" Redd White bribed Marvin Grossberg into telling him about Misty Fey's involvement in the incident, and he then sold the information to the media. This destroyed the credibility of Misty Fey and the entire Fey clan, as well as the police to some extent. Because of this, Fey left her family behind and vanished from society, leaving her title as Master to one of her children once she remained missing for 20 years, as per Kurain tradition. The police began to secretly search for the one who leaked the information to the media. White heard of this, then began to blackmail Grossberg by threatening to reveal that he was the leaker unless he paid White off with money and items that he liked.

The discrediting and outing of Misty Fey itself had its own repercussions. While Misty's title as master had already meant that Morgan, her sister, would have relatively little power and influence, the loss of credibility brought about by the DL-6 Incident destroyed any remaining potential influence that Morgan's family may have had. Accepting that Morgan would never become the Master, Morgan's husband divorced and left the clan with their two daughters, Iris and Dahlia. Morgan would later remarry and have a third daughter, Pearl. Misty Fey's daughter Mia also left the clan, in order to investigate the incident that had shamed her mother, eventually becoming a defense attorney working under Grossberg. Mia's departure meant that her younger sister Maya would become the next Master of the clan. Mia Fey soon discovered Redd White's blackmailing activities, but she was killed before she could expose him.

Yanni Yogi's insanity claim lost him his job and his credibility. His fiancée, Polly Jenkins, eventually committed suicide. His life was ruined. He decided to hide, creating a new life for himself as the keeper of the boating shack at Gourd Lake, and buying a parrot, which he named Polly, to keep him company. He never forgot the pain to which he had been subjected, and he blamed the whole thing on Hammond and Miles, which drove him to take action against them when the perfect opportunity arose.

In the wake of Gregory's death, his assistant, Eddie Fender, took over his last case and appealed it, to no avail.

Reopening and resolution[]

Main article: Turnabout Goodbyes
Yanishoots

Yogi about to kill his former defense.

Fifteen years after the DL-6 Incident, Manfred von Karma gave Yogi instructions on killing Hammond and subsequently framing Miles Edgeworth. Following the instructions, Yogi sent letters inviting Hammond and Edgeworth to his shack. Hammond arrived first, and Yogi fatally shot him and dumped his body into Gourd Lake. Edgeworth arrived later; Yogi pretended to be Hammond and took him on a boat ride to the middle of the lake. Yogi then professed his satisfaction for the revenge he was about to take, shot twice in Edgeworth's general direction to attract witnesses, and dropped from the boat into the lake. Edgeworth was accused of murdering Hammond the following morning.

Edgeworth's old friend, defense attorney Phoenix Wright, defended him in court against Prosecutor von Karma. Wright was able to establish a motive for Yogi by showing his link to the DL-6 Incident, and Yogi gave in. However, Edgeworth admitted to killing his father. With the statute of limitations on the case about to expire on that day, another trial was hastily set up, and Wright was able to prove that von Karma was the real killer. Having finally resolved the incident before its permanent closure by the statute of limitations, Edgeworth's nightmares about the incident ceased, though his phobia lingered. In addition, the Kurain Channeling Technique was proven not to have been a fraud, and the reputation of the Fey clan gradually recovered.

Two years later, Edgeworth returned to his father's last case following an invitation from his father's protegé, Eddie Fender, and together solved it once and for all. Fender was then able to successfully defend Tangaroa in Gregory's stead.

In other media[]

  • In the anime, the DL-6 Incident occurs in the middle of the trial involving Gregory and von Karma instead of immediately after it.
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