Letitia, Cabot Cove’s telephone operator, is Jessica’s phone-a-friend bestie. She never appears on camera, but is nevertheless instrumental in several cases.
Letitia
Category: The Usual Suspects
Recurring characters in the MSW universe
Lois Hoey
Lois Hoey (Paddi Edwards) is a Cabot Cove friend of Jessica. Full of community spirit, she is a member of the Cabot Cove PTA refreshment committee and a volunteer for Cabot Cove’s Founders Day.
Appearances
Sheriff Amos Tupper
Captain Ethan Cragg
Captain Ethan Cragg (Claude Akins) is one of Jessica’s Cabot Cove friends. He is very protective of Jessica, and has a warm, but combative, relationship with the Cabot Cove Sheriff, Amos Tupper.
Captain Cragg runs Cragg’s Charter Services from his boat out of Cabot Cove. He comes to the rescue by land (S1 E7: “Hit, Run and Homicide”) and by sea (S1 E2: “Deadly Lady”). When he’s not volunteering for the Coast Guard or helping the Sheriff, Ethan’s hobbies include fishing, softball, and arcade games.
Unfortunately, Ethan only appears in Season 1. His character is more or less replaced by Dr. Hazlitt later in the series. I wish this wasn’t the case, I really like the character of Ethan. I feel like there is room in Jessica’s life for more than one gruff but well meaning gentleman at a time. Plus, Ethan has a certain… Gorton’s Fisherman appeal that I miss in later seasons.
Hello and Welcome!
For reasons unclear to me, this is by far my most popular post. Welcome to Murder She Wrote, She Wrote! If you are seeking Captain Cragg, I hope you’ve found what you were hoping for.
Here are some more posts featuring the good captain:
Murder, She Wrote Episodes featuring Ethan Cragg
Cabot Cove Posts featuring Ethan Cragg
Ethan Cragg in Good Company
Victoria Griffin
Dossier
Victoria Griffin née Brandon (Genie Francis) is Jessica’s niece. As of S1 E3, she lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Howard Griffin.
Victoria is allergic to flowers.
Romantic Interests
Howard Griffin, married 1984
Appearances
Howard Griffin
Dossier
Howard Griffin (Jeff Conaway) is Jessica’s nephew by marriage. As of S1 E3, he lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Victoria Griffin née Brandon. Howard is an actor.
Resume
- Female Impersonator, Les Champignons, San Francisco, CA, 1984; S1 E3: “Birds of a Feather”
Arrest Record
- Murder of Al Drake, San Francisco, CA, 1984; S1 E3: “Birds of a Feather”
Romantic Interests
Victoria Brandon, married 1984
Appearances
Preston Giles
Dossier
Preston Giles (Arthur Hill) is the founder of Coventry House, the publisher of Jessica’s first novel, The Corpse Danced at Midnight. Preston has a shady past. He claims to have been framed for crimes he didn’t commit, after which he escaped prison and assumed his current identity. In April, 1984, he murdered Dexter Baxendale and Caleb McCallum to protect this secret. He is in love with Jessica Fletcher.
Appearances
Grady Fletcher
Dossier
Grady Fletcher (Michael Horton) is Jessica’s nephew by marriage. As of S1 E1, he lives in New York and is unmarried. Grady is an accountant.
Resume
- Accountant, Cap’n Caleb’s Chowder Houses, New York, NY, 1984; S1 E1: “The Murder of Sherlock Holmes”
Crimes and Misdemeanors
- Trespass: April, 1984; The Offices of Cap’n Caleb’s Chowder Houses, New York, NY; S1 E1: “The Murder of Sherlock Holmes”
Arrest Record
- Murder of Dexter Baxendale, New Holvang, NY, April, 1984; S1 E1: “The Murder of Sherlock Holmes”
Romantic Interests
Kitt Donovan, fiancée, 1984
Murder, She Wrote, She Wrote 