Despite appearing only briefly, he plays an extremely important role in the story. He is the real killer of golf pro Glenn Quintin.
Elmo Blatch would often brag to his cellmates about all the people he killed as well as the women he slept with. At one point, he got a job bussing tables at a country club. He would look at the regulars who came to the country club to see which one he could rob.
He decided on Quintin, following him to his house one night. He entered the house and Glenn yelled at him. Elmo flew into a rage and drew his .38 special revolver, the muzzle of which he wrapped towels around to muffle the gunshots he used to murder Quintin and Andy's wife. Because Andy also owned a .38 caliber revolver, he was framed for the crime.
Once he was arrested for robbery, he had bragged about this particular crime to his cellmate Tommy Williams, who later told Andy about his crime once he was taken to Shawshank State Prison. Andy had attempted to convince Warden Norton of his innocence, but due to the Warden wanting to keep Andy from telling others about him laundering money, he refused to accept his "story". Later on, aided by Captain Byron Hadley, Norton gets Tommy killed to avoid him from testifying.
Due to the fact that Andy does not bother to clear his name after his escape from Shawshank Prison, and Norton kept Tommy quiet about him innocent, Blatch presumably got away with the crime, and given that his sentence for robbery was short, it's likely that he went back on the streets before Tommy's incarceration on Shawshank.
Personality[]
Elmo is an irritating serial killer and robber who always brags to his inmates about his crimes. He also looks somewhat paranoid being in this prison or just because of his own miserable life. He also got away with the murder which Andy gets framed for, making him a very important character.
Trivia[]
- In the novel, his name is Elwood Blatch.
- In the novel, Blatch serves a long sentence, however, he is released early on amnesty. It is implied that Warden Norton arranged the release to keep Andy behind bars.