Who is Senator Gerald DeBlass from Naked in Death and what is their importance? Naked_in_Death English & Literature Senator Gerald DeBlass | Naked in Death

Senator Gerald DeBlass is Sharon's grandfather. He is a very powerful senator, who runs on a morality platform. As a result, he uses his power to force Dallas to share her investigation results with him, which might possibly compromise the case. In pressuring Dallas, DeBlass does nothing more than interfere.

Toward the end of the novel, Dallas receives a phone call from a woman telling her she was raped. Dallas believes that Sharon was also raped, a fact that led to her death. When Dallas tracks down the woman, she finds that the woman is actually, Catherine DeBlass, Sharon's aunt. Catherine claims that Senator DeBlass sexually abused her as a child, and that he did the same to Sharon, possibly leading to her death. This information provides Dallas with a motive and the information she needs to swear out a warrant DeBlass' arrest. DeBlass refuses to confess, however, and is eventually released from jail. A few hours after his arrest, DeBlass takes his own life in order protect himself and his family from the humiliation of a trial.