Eva Pearce is a white collar thief, kidnapper, and killer, first introduced in Season 6 of Murdoch Mysteries, portrayed by Daiva Johnston.
Appearances and Mentions
- Murdoch first meets the manipulative Eva Pearce as a girl in the shop where someone was murdered. He doesn't realize she's secretly seducing him until Julia points out all the little signs she does. Also, she manipulates the murder of one man by getting another man to kill him. As Eva covers her tracks, she is not arrested at this time, though Murdoch thwarts her plans to court the rich Mr. Eaton. In the aftermath, Eva used her false tears to attract another suitor.
- Eva Pearce is deadly, manipulative, and cautious, making her a dangerous opponent of William Murdoch who hasn't seen the last of her.
- Eva Pearce is reintroduced as the fiancée of Ian Worthington, president of the Canadian Bank. She took the pseudonym of Cassie Chadwick , copied a real con artist and her methods, putting out the rumor that she was the illegitimate daughter of philanthropist Andrew Carnegie , which got her to court Worthington and eventually got engaged. (However it is unknown if she was aware that the real Cassie Chadwick's con was a con) As she had several outstanding loans, she forged a promissory note, forging Carnegie's signature, that he would take care of her debts. If all went according to plan as the marriage was consummated and Worthington later discovering the truth, he would be forced to handle her debts himself to avoid scandal.
- However, on the day of their engagement party, Worthington heard that Carnegie was in Toronto and telephoned him, asking for permission to marry his daughter, only to learn that he had no daughter named Cassie Chadwick. Worthington took the promissory note out of his safe and confronted Eva at his family's home on Russell Creek Rd., but she turned the tables on him and killed him, destroying the note and hiding his body in the lake. When Detective Murdoch identifies her as Cassie Chadwick, he had no evidence to convict her and thus sets up an elaborate sting to catch her. With the real Cassie Chadwick assisting the police sting by posing as Worthington's sister Lucretia, and Higgins playing Worthington's lawyer, they tricked her into thinking that she would get $500,000 only if Worthington's body was found, otherwise she would have to wait seven years for her money. This would force her to return to the scene of the crime. But as Eva wouldn't make a move being the only suspect, Dr. Emily Grace posed as Desiree Deneuve, a former flame of Worthington's, and was made out to be a more likely culprit before Eva. The good doctor faked her death in a scuffle with Crabtree, effectively keeping Eva ignorant. However, Eva sent an anonymous letter revealing Worthington's body's location. In response, Crabtree claimed that the constabulary had not located the body and declared the case closed. Left with no alternative but to return to the lake and pole around for a body, Murdoch then surprised her, remarking that "[she'll] catch [her] death in there." Eva Pearce is then arrested and charged with murder.
- It's revealed that Eva Pearce was sent to the insane asylum. Along with other female "lunatics" such as Mrs. Lynd, Rose Maxwell, and Charlotte, as well as a murderess named Hannah, she concocted an escape plan, though she was the only one who was able to leave the asylum. Eva was last seen tricking a man into giving her a cab ride, and presumably will continue to con men into getting what she wanted.
- Eva kidnaps and attempts to rape William so she can "give him the child he has always wanted". She is ultimately unsuccessful; in a confrontation with Julia – a fight to the death. She bleeds to death after Julia manages to stab Eva in the throat.
- Eva Pearce, in her bloody dress, returns to haunt Julia whose psyche is fragile.
Disguises
Cassie Chadwick
Introduced in The Murdoch Sting.