Paula Murphy, originally known as Elena Aguilar, is an minor character on How to Get Away with Murder.
Biography[]
Early life[]
When Elena Aguilar was 20/21 years old, she and some other members of the anti-globalisation group, the Red Letter Brigade, planted a pipe bomb inside the World Financial Institute. The bomb was intended to explode when nobody was around as a demonstration of their cause, but it exploded when a janitor was nearby, killing him. Gabriel Shaw was incarcerated as the group's leader, Alice and Trent Davis served their time and were released, another member died in custody but Paula posted bail and then became a fugitive. The evidence against her was a fingerprint on a fragment of the exploded bomb.
Season 1[]
Paula was arrested for having sex in public. Annalise Keating was able to get the indecent exposure charge dropped and it cleared from her record and as they were leaving the station the FBI arrived and arrested Paula, aka Elena, for the 1994 bombing of the World Financial Institute. They were able to trace her by the fingerprints that were filed after she was arrested. Annalise was confident she could win the case, using a mind control defence.
The first day in court, Trent Davis took the stand and testified that Elena was just as for the cause of the group as the rest of the members. During Annalise's cross, she tried to have Trent say that he was under the influence of Gabriel Shaw but he denied, saying Gabriel was very persuasive but he never made the group do anything they didn't want to. Annalise mentioned how he kept food from the group and Trent called it fasting but Annalise cut him off and said food deprivation was a very effective tool in mind control. Next, Alice took the stand and Annalise asked if the plan to plant the bomb was Gabriel's entirely, to which Michael Bordal objected and the judge sustained. She rephrased the question, asking if Gabriel consulted Alice or any of the other members and she said no. When Annalise was finished, Alice spoke out of turn and said she believes Elena should still go to jail because everybody else served their time.
Asher found out through help from his dad that the feds were moving Gabriel around the prison system to keep him hidden. Annalise, Bonnie and Michaela planned to go and she made Elena travel with them. Elena and Gabriel enjoyed seeing each other and he said he would testify to whatever was needed to keep Elena out of jail. On the way home Elena stated in the car that she is still in love with Gabriel and always thought about him.
The next time they're in court, the prosecution calls Gabriel to the stand, causing Elena to panic, and he testifies that it was Elena's idea to plant the bomb. When Annalise starts her cross, she accuses Gabriel of lying and he denies it. She tried to ascertain what made him switch sides and it was revealed the prosecution offered him early release if he testified against Elena.
Afterwards, Annalise tasked the Keating 5 with finding information that could assist in creating a new defence. Michaela found out that Gabriel had received 6 calls in prison from a woman named Jane Santora, which was Paula's mother's maiden name. It's then revealed that Elena and Gabriel had fled together and the case was put on permanent hold. Elena was planning by calling Gabriel under a different name so it wouldn't be suspicious.
See also[]
Murders Committed[]
- Janitor at the World Financial Institute: She was heavily involved with a anti-globilaztion group known as the Red Letter Brigade. The group planted a pipe bomb at the World Financial Institute. Although the bomb was meant to explode when no one was around, it went off while a janitor was near, killing him. ("Smile, or Go to Jail")
Appearances[]
| Season 1 | |||||||||||
| "Pilot" | "It's All Her Fault" | "Smile, or Go to Jail" | "Let's Get to Scooping" | ||||||||
| "We're Not Friends" | "Freakin' Whack-a-Mole" | "He Deserved to Die" | "He Has a Wife" | ||||||||
| "Kill Me, Kill Me, Kill Me" | "Hello Raskolnikov" | "Best Christmas Ever" | "She's a Murderer" | ||||||||
| "Mama's Here Now" | "The Night Lila Died" | "It's All My Fault" |
