Raymond Horgan: Presumed Innocent character explained

Raymond Horgan represents Rusty, his friend, who he is accused of murdering Carolyn. In Presumed Innocent, Bill Camp plays Raymond.

When a prosecutor named Carolyn Polhemus is murdered, Raymond, the district attorney, assigns Rusty, his chief deputy prosecutor, to the case. 

Rusty is not only Raymond’s most trusted and efficient prosecutor but also his close friend, which is why Raymond feels betrayed when he finds out about Rusty’s affair with Carolyn.

Raymond feels betrayed

Finding Carolyn’s murderer is a top priority for Raymond, as the elections for district attorney are approaching and he is running for the position. 

When Nico Della Guardia, who is also running for district attorney, accuses Raymond’s office of a poor investigation, Rusty defends Raymond in the press.

Raymond only trusts Rusty with the case, considering it as crucial for the election. Unaware of Rusty’s affair with Carolyn, Raymond does not realize that Rusty has a conflict of interest. 

Instead of stepping back and telling Raymond about the affair, Rusty continues investigating to ensure Raymond’s re-election.

Raymond eventually loses the election, and Nico becomes the district attorney. Nico then transfers the case to his chief deputy prosecutor, Tommy.

This leads to Rusty and Carolyn’s affair coming to light, which comes as a surprise to Raymond, who, despite working closely with Rusty, never doubted him of cheating on his wife. 

Raymond is as upset with Rusty as he is furious for not telling him the truth and taking the case when he should not have. 

He blames Rusty for losing the election because Rusty did not fairly investigate the case, which he believes is the reason for his defeat.

Presumed Innocent Raymond Horgan
Raymond blames Rusty for his loss

Raymond’s pursuit of meaning and relevance

When Rusty becomes the prime suspect in Carolyn’s murder case, he turns to Raymond for help and asks him to represent him.

Initially, Raymond, who is disappointed in Rusty, refuses. He no longer trusts Rusty. He believes that he did not truly know Rusty; he only thought he did.

Later, Raymond decides to take Rusty’s case not just because Rusty is his friend but also because he believes that if he can win against Nico and Tommy in court, his life will gain meaning and he will not retire in defeat.

Raymond is a skilled lawyer, and with the help of his associate lawyer, Mya, he is able to defend Rusty well, even when Rusty continues to hide relevant information from him. 

While working to prove Rusty’s innocence, Raymond gets to know Rusty better. He points out to Rusty that he is self-absorbed, self-centered, and feels no guilt about causing other people pain.

Although Raymond knows that Tommy’s case against Rusty is not strong enough to prove him as the murderer, the stress of the case takes its toll on Raymond, who must find a way to prove his friend’s innocence. 


Also Read: Barbara Sabich: Presumed Innocent character explained

Muskan Chhatwani
Muskan Chhatwani
Muskan is an editor at The Envoy Web. Her name translates to smile in English, but she likes shows and films that do anything but make you smile. She believes that analyzing and interpreting the tiny little things on-screen can reveal a story that is not visible to everyone, a story of your own.

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