Irene Matthews (Janet MacLachlan; 1933-2010) was a hidden villainess from "Jessica Behind Bars," episode 2.09 of Murder, She Wrote (airdate December 1, 1985). She was a prison physician for the West Barrington Institute for Women.
Irene was found deceased in her office, and inmate Mary Stamm (a convicted murderer) was suspected of killing her after she was found near Irene. However, Jessica Fletcher's investigation not only revealed that Irene had committed suicide, but the prison was a hotbed of corruption and embezzlement, with deputy warden Amanda Debs as the villainous mastermind. Irene turned heel at some point before the episode's events and aligned with Debs and her corruption ring, and regarding her role, the evil Irene sold off her drug supply for profit.
The episode had Irene discovering that the prison's corruption was in the process of being uncovered, due to Warden Elizabeth Gates' reforms during her bid for Senate. Fearing that her heel persona would be exposed, Irene began planning her suicide by typing a note, but when a guard heard the typewriting noises, the villainess acted fast and got to work on killing herself. She injected herself with a lethal dose of morphine, quickly succumbing to the effects and dying.
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