Charles Westmoreland

Infobox Prison Break character|
name = Charles Westmoreland


first appearance = Pilot
first appearance num = S1E01
last appearance = Flight
last appearance num = S1E22
season = 1Episode Count = 18
portrayer = Muse Watson
aliases = DB Cooper,
The Old Head
occupation =
family = Ann Westmoreland (daughter)

Charles Westmoreland is a fictional character from the American television series, "Prison Break". He is played by Muse Watson. Westmoreland was one of Fox River State Penitentiary's longest-serving inmates, having served thirty-two years.

Background

Many people, including Michael Scofield came to believe that he may have been the infamous airline hijacker D. B. Cooper, which Westmoreland repeatedly denied. The evidence against Westmoreland, as explained by Michael in the episode "The Old Head" was never enough to convict him for the crime, but strongly hinted that Westmoreland was in fact Cooper.

A grandfather clause in the prison's policy allowed him to keep a tabby cat named Marilyn. The DOC had repeatedly attempted to transfer Westmoreland to other facilities, though he was unwilling to leave Marilyn behind and became adept at using legal loopholes to block his transfers. According to a news article appearing in Michael's apartment in the first episode of the series, Charles is 59 years old at the time of the series.

Appearances

Westmoreland was a recurring character, appearing in almost every episode of the first season. The character was killed off in "Go" but was also featured briefly in the finale of the first season. In the show's second season, various flashbacks of Westmoreland have been utilized.

eason 1

A relatively quiet and gentle man, Westmoreland took great pains to stay out of other people's business, including Michael's escape attempt, despite Michael's efforts to recruit him. He and Captain Brad Bellick enjoyed a mutual respect for many years until Westmoreland refused to tell Bellick what he'd seen after a guard was murdered outside Westmoreland's cell during a prison riot. Shortly thereafter, Westmoreland found Marilyn dead in his cell. Westmoreland quietly retaliated by starting a fire in the guards' break room and making it appear as if Bellick's negligence had caused the fire. This also allowed Michael and the P.I. crew access to the guard's room in order to dig a hole for their escape.

Upon learning that he would not be allowed to visit his terminally-ill daughter until after her death, Westmoreland became desperate to escape. He finally confirmed that he was D.B. Cooper by showing Michael a one hundred dollar bill matching the serial number of the first bill from the fabled hijacking. After becoming a member of the break-out team, Westmoreland participated in the first failed escape attempt. He would eventually form a friendship with fellow escapee Benjamin Miles "C-Note" Franklin, bonding over the fact that they were both fathers and talking about their families. C-Note was one of the few people entrusted with Westmoreland's true motive for escape; his dying daughter.

Westmoreland attacked Bellick when Bellick discovered the hole the team dug in the guards' room. He successfully subdued Bellick but was severely wounded by a piece of glass, piercing his torso. During the escape, he collapsed in the infirmary from loss of blood. He told Michael to go on without him, but not before making him promise to visit his daughter (a promise Michael would later sadly be forced to break) and then revealing the location of the D. B. Cooper money (under a silo at the Double K Ranch, just outside of Tooele, Utah), and revealing that sum was $5 million, rather than the one million generally assumed. He is later found dead by Warden Henry Pope.

eason 2

He is often talked about in season 2, and his money, the 5 million dollars buried in Utah, play a big part of the season.

External links

* [http://www.fox.com/prisonbreak/bios/bio_westmoreland.htm Charles Westmoreland's biography] at Fox.com