Chapter 14 - The Verdict
The trial was swift and brutal.
The prosecution played the kitchen video, the patio video, and the newly acquired footage of Beatrice breaking into the house with a crowbar. Arthur took the stand, detailing a lifetime of his ex-wife’s sociopathic behavior and calculated cruelty.
When Beatrice’s lawyer tried to bring up the paternity lie, the prosecutor projected the 99.999% DNA match onto the courtroom screens. The defense crumbled into dust.
It took the jury less than two hours to deliberate.
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The foreman stood up. “On the charge of attempted murder in the first degree, we find the defendant... Guilty. On the charge of aggravated burglary... Guilty.”
Beatrice Vance was sentenced to thirty-five years in state prison without the possibility of parole. As the bailiff led her away, she looked over her shoulder one last time, expecting to see her son. But Daniel wasn't looking at her. He was holding his wife’s hand, looking toward the courtroom doors. They were already moving on.
