Jessie Hiram Bains (aka Jesse Bains and The Death Angel) was a dangerous criminal, investigated, arrested, and finally killed by detective Sonny Bonds. Originating from Chicago, IL Bains moved to Lytton, CA to take over the city's drug trafficking business, which he did by murdering rival drug dealers with the help of accomplice Jason Taselli. Following Taselli's arrest and escape from jail, Bains executed Taselli before he could be recaptured. Following an undercover operation to infiltrate Bains' residence and headquarters at the Hotel Delphoria, Bains attempted to murder undercover detective Bonds, but was instead gunned down himself in the ensuing shootout.
Bains was sentenced to 97 years in prison for multiple crimes. He served one year of the sentence, but managed to win a retrial over a technicality. After being moved to Lytton City Jail for the retrial, Bains took jailer Luis Pate hostage using a makeshift knife and escaped the prison. After murdering Pate, Bains enacted an elaborate plan to murder four of the witnesses at his trial, including Woody Roberts, Donald Colby, Marie Wilkans and Sonny Bonds. He managed to murder the first two and kidnapped Wilkans to Steelton, where he was hoping to lure Bonds into a trap and kill him as well. Bains was finally killed in a shootout with Bonds, inside a sewer control room under Steelton's Burt Park.
Following Bains' death, his brother Michael Bains attempted to avenge Jessie's death by stabbing Marie Wilkans. Wilkans survived, and Bonds arrested Michael Bains during a raid on his satanic cult headquarters.
Background[]
According to at least one record, Jessie Bains was born on November 30, 1951. No information is available regarding his early life or criminal record during this time.
At some point, Jessie Bains became known to the Chicago Police Department as a drug-dealer and card shark. He was closely associated with Jason Taselli during this time.
Bains and Taselli disappeared from Chicago sometime in the 1980s, reappearing in Lytton, CA a short time later.
Lytton Drug Empire[]
Bains set up a permanent residence at the Hotel Delphoria in Lytton under the alias "Frank Sloan", establishing the hotel as his new headquarters. As a gambler, Bains began financing his drug-related operations by running an illegal gambling hall behind the hotel's cocktail lounge, together with fellow criminals Gene Bamboni and Otto Lipshitz. According to notes belonging to accomplice Jason Taselli, Bains may have been financed (or hoped to be financed) by some larger criminal organization.
With Taselli's help, Bains began to flood Lytton with drugs, primarily cocaine. He quickly earned the nickname "The Death Angel" among criminal circles in the city. At first, the enterprise enlisted the help of local drug dealers such as Jose Martinez and Donald Colby, whom he supplied through Taselli. Any dealer who would not cooperate was eliminated, including both Martinez and another dealer named Lonny West. West was murdered by Taselli in broad daylight, giving the Lytton Police Department its first lead to investigate Bains' criminal empire.
Taselli's Arrest and Execution[]
Bains' accomplice, Jason Taselli, was arrested a short time after the murder of Lonny West and taken to Lytton City Jail. An expensive lawyer was brought in from Chicago to represent him, securing a $500,000 bail. However, just as the lawyer was about to pay Taselli's bail, detective Sonny Bonds managed to convince judge Kim Palmer to issue a no-bail warrant for Taselli. Shortly afterwards, Taselli escaped from Lytton City Jail.
Taselli's body was found some time later, floating in the Clearwater River at Cotton Cove. A pathological examination revealed that he had been executed with a .32 caliber bullet to the back of the head.
Undercover Operation and Arrest[]
While Jason Taselli was still at-large following his escape, Lytton Police Department's Narcotics division analyzed the evidence recovered during his arrest and determined that the drug-trafficking network was based at the Hotel Delphoria. The detectives began planning and preparing an undercover operation at the hotel, designed to infiltrate the operation.
Detective Sonny Bonds, working under the alias "Jimmy Lee Banksten" and assisted by local prostitute "Sweet Cheeks" Marie, managed to discover and infiltrate Bains' illegal gambling hall behind the Hotel Delphoria Cocktail Lounge. Bribing front-man Woody Roberts, Bonds gained access to the gambling hall, where he played two rounds of poker against Bains (under his "Frank Sloan" persona) and accomplices Gene Bamboni and Otto Lipshitz. Bonds found favor with Bains, who invited the detective up to his suite, in the hope of recruiting "Banksten" into his illegal operation.
In Bains' suite, Bains received a phonecall from one of his accomplices who identified Bonds as a police officer. Bains attempted to murder Bonds, but was interrupted by three LPD detectives who had been monitoring the situation clandestinely. A shootout erupted, during which detective Bonds shot Bains and neutralized him.
Trial and Incarceration[]
Following Bains' arrest, he was tried at the Lytton Courthouse by judge Kim Palmer. He was found guilty of drug trafficking, illegal gambling, first-degree murder of Jason Taselli, and attempted murder of officer Sonny Bonds. Woody Roberts, Donald Colby and Marie Wilkans all served as witnesses, as well as Detective Angland and Detective Smith who participated in the shootout. After his verdict, Bains swore to kill detective Bonds, whom he viewed as primarily responsible.
Bains was sentenced to 97 years in prison, and incarcerated at Foolsum State Penitentiary.
Retrial and Escape[]
One year after his incarceration, Bains managed to win a retrial by arguing a technicality over improper jury instruction. He was moved from Foolsum State Penitentiary to Lytton City Jail to await the proceedings. Before the retrial could begin, Bains fashioned a makeshift knife out of a prison spoon, which he then used to take jailer Luis Pate hostage. Bains exited the jail with Pate, and proceeded to steal Pate's car and .38 service revolver.
Bains took Pate to Oak Tree Mall, where he left the jailer's car and stole a station wagon belonging to Camille Rogers. He then drove Pate to Cotton Cove, where he stripped the young jailer and executed him with a shot to the head at close range. He then dragged the body into the Clearwater River, where it sank and got stuck between the rocks. At this point, jogger Shelly Wingate spotted signs of the murder and called the police. Patrol officer Mario Gelepsi, followed by detectives Sonny Bonds and Keith Robinson, responded to the call. While inspecting the park, Bonds and Robinson were ambushed by Bains. After an exchange of gunfire, Bains fled to his stolen vehicle and attempted to run the detectives over. The detectives attempted to pursue Bains as he drove away from the Cove, but Bains slipped away.
Bains was later spotted by a patrol car headed to Lytton Airport, but was lost in traffic. Detectives Bonds and Robinson arrived at the airport to find Bains' stolen station wagon parked across the street. Searching the airport, detective Bonds found Pate's service revolver discarded inside a toilet's water tank. Questioning employees at the airport, Bonds spotted Luis Pate's name on a flight list to Houston, TX. The two detectives immediately boarded a flight to Houston, but were quickly recalled after Capt. Fletcher Hall called Houston and discovered that Bains never boarded his plane. Investigating further, Bonds discovered that Bains had instead rented a car at the airport. An APB was called, but the vehicle was never found.
Murder Rampage[]
After losing the police at Lytton Airport, Bains checked into the Snuggler's Inn, room 108, under the alias "William Cole". He immediately proceeded to mail a letter to Woody Roberts under that same alias, offering Roberts a business opportunity and inviting him to the motel. While waiting for Roberts to arrive, Bains robbed a gun store and stole two shotguns, a .32 caliber automatic pistol, a silencer, and ammunition. Upon Roberts' arrival at the motel, Bains ambushed him and executed him with a shot to the head at close range. He placed Roberts's body into the trunk of his own car, then drove the car to the Old Warehouse District. He tore the return address off the envelope he'd sent to Roberts, and placed it in Roberts' clenched fist. Underneath the body he left a note, threatening Bonds' life.
The next morning, Bains proceeded to Marie Wilkans' house (now Sonny Bonds' girlfriend), where he kidnapped the woman after a struggle. In an ashtray on the floor, Bains left a hit-list containing the names of all four witnesses who testified against him at his trial, including Woody Roberts, Donald Colby, Marie Wilkans and Sonny Bonds. He marked Roberts' name with a tick, then burned the list slightly to make it seem as though he was trying to get rid of it. Bains then took Wilkans back to the Snuggler's Inn, where he threw Donald Colby's business card in the sink and Marie's lipstick tube under the bed. He then set up a booby-trapped shotgun aimed at the door, left the room with Marie, and drove all the way to Steelton, where he held Marie captive in a sewer control room directly underneath Burt Park.
Roberts' body was found while Bains was in the process of kidnapping Marie Wilkans. Detective Bonds found the envelope corner hidden on the body, and proceeded to the Snuggler's Inn. He successfully managed to evade the shotgun trap and gain entry to room 108, where he found Colby's business card and Wilkans' lipstick. Bonds called Colby, who was living under witness protection in Steelton at the time, warning him that he might be Bains' next target. He also called the Steelton Police Department to set up a tap on Colby's phone. Detectives Bonds and Keith Robinson then proceeded to fly to Steelton, where they learned that Bains had already managed to kill Colby with a gunshot to the head.
Death and Aftermath[]
The wiretap on Donald Colby's phone revealed that a threatening call was placed to Colby from a payphone at Steelton's Burt Park. Detectives Sonny Bonds and Keith Robinson searched the park, finding a manhole leading down into the sewers. Exploring the sewers, Bonds eventually discovered the control room, where he found Marie Wilkans tied to a chair. Bonds released Marie, but could not escape before Bains returned. Hiding in a corner, Bonds ambushed Bains and a shootout erupted, during which Bains was struck by a bullet and killed on the spot.
Bonds' actions were officially determined to have been in self defense, and he was awarded with a Silver Commendation Award for stopping Bains. During a short paid leave following the incident, Bonds and Wilkans were engaged, and were married sometimes afterwards.
Bains' legacy lived on through his brother Michael, a former U.S. Marine. Michael became a drug dealer and established a satanic cult, then attempted to murder a pregnant Marie Bonds by stabbing her, though she survived the attempt. He was later arrested by Bonds at the end of an investigation into the attempted murder and cult activities.
Jessie Bains's name is commemorated in the entry lobby in the Red Library in Fairview.
Titles, Nicknames, and Aliases[]
- Frank Magpie
- Frank Sloan
- William Cole
- Death Angel
- Mr. Big
List of Murders and Attempted Murders[]
Bains is known or suspected to have murdered, or attempted to murder, multiple individuals. His favored method of murder is an execution-style shot to the back of the head using a handgun.
Below is a list of all known and suspected victims, arranged in chronological order.
Victim | Crime | Location | Method | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Lonny West | Murder | Downtown Lytton | Gunshot to the head, drive-by shooting | Murdered by Jason Taselli and/or Jose Martinez, likely at the behest of Jessie Bains. |
Jose Martinez | Murder(?) | Unknown | Unknown | Disappeared after getting into a car involved in Lonny West's murder. According to partial evidence, Martinez was likely killed by Jason Taselli on Bains' orders. The body was never found. |
Jason Taselli | Murder | Cotton Cove | Gunshot to the head, execution | Murdered following his escape from Lytton City Jail, possibly to prevent his recapture. The body was dumped into the Clearwater River. |
Sonny Bonds | Attempted murder | Hotel Delphoria room 404 | Handgun | Attempted to murder the detective after discovering his true identity. Bonds and three other detectives gunned Bains down, leading to his arrest. |
Luis Pate | Murder | Cotton Cove | Gunshot to the head, execution during kidnapping | Kidnapped from Lytton City Jail during Bains' escape. Executed with his own service pistol. The body was dumped into the Clearwater River. |
Sonny Bonds Keith Robinson |
Attempted murder | Cotton Cove | Handgun and vehicle | Set up an ambush for the detectives. When they returned fire, Bains attempted to run Bonds over with a stolen vehicle. |
Woodrow Roberts | Murder | Snuggler's Inn room 108 | Gunshot to the head, execution | Lured Roberts to a motel room where he was executed. The body was left in Roberts' own car at the Old Warehouse District, along with clues deliberately meant to lure Bonds into a deadly booby trap. |
Sonny Bonds | Attempted murder | Snuggler's Inn room 108 | Shotgun booby-trap | Set up a boody-trap using a shotgun stolen from a gun shop, using a pulley system connected to the door handle. |
Donald Colby | Murder | Colby's residence, Steelton | Gunshot to the head, execution | Threatened Colby over the phone, then killed him at his own house. |
Sonny Bonds | Attempted murder | Burt Park sewers, Steelton | Handgun | Lured detective Bonds to his location by kidnapping girlfriend Marie Wilkans. Bonds ambushed Bains, a shootout erupted, and Bains was killed. |
Note: this list does not include victims murdered indirectly, such as Kathy Cobb (who died of an overdose of drugs probably supplied by Bains' drug distribution network).
Files[]
LPD Homicide Case File (Physical)[]
- File compiled by the LPD's Homicide Division following the conviction and incarceration of Jessie Bains. This file contained two mugshots of Bains taken at the time of his booking into Lytton City Jail; Detective Sonny Bonds removed one at the start of Bains' manhunt following his escape.
- An identical file could be found at the Lytton City Jail. Though containing the same details, this file also contained an updated mugshot of Bains, which Sonny Bonds also collected. According to the jailer, this file was compiled the very morning on which Bains escaped.
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LPD Homicide Case File (Digital)[]
- File compiled by the LPD's Homicide Division following the conviction and incarceration of Jessie Bains. This version of the file could be found on the LPD's computerized database, under the directory CRIMINAL > HOMICIDE, which was password-protected.
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Gallery[]
Spelling[]
Jessie Bains' name is spelled as such throughout the original game and Police Quest II: The Vengeance, with the exception of one instance in the latter (the description of his mugshot) where he is named "Jesse Bains". The word "Jesse" is accepted by the text parser as an alternative to "Jessie".
The name "Jesse Hiram Bains" is used throughout the Remake, where the character has a slightly different background and timeline as well.
See also[]
Behind the scenes[]
Jessie Bains is based on an actual individual that Jim Walls had a shoot out with and who later came back and tried to take revenge on him and his family. This lead to Jim Walls retirment.
In PQ1, PQ2, & PQ3 this character is known as Jessie Hiram Bains. In PQ1VGA, and The Police Quest Casebook, Bains' first name is spelled Jesse Hiram Bains.
As with many other pieces of contradicting information in the original Police Quest, Police Quest II and the Police Quest Remake, many of the dates given for various events regarding Jessie Bains simply do not match up. Most importantly, this includes dates provided in "official" documents within the same game — such as the year of Bains' conviction in Police Quest II, which is given as 1983 in one Homicide Division document and 1987 in another. Note that the game itself mentions that Bains spent only a year in jail before his escape, making the 1983 date nonsensical since the game takes place no earlier than 1987.