Chapter 8 - Preparing for the Criminal Trial
The criminal justice system moves slowly, but the District Attorney's office was deeply invested in Beatrice's case. The public outrage from the leaked news story meant they couldn't sweep this under the rug.
They formally charged Beatrice with Aggravated Child Abuse and Reckless Endangerment.
Her defense attorney offered a plea deal: five years of probation and mandatory anger management. The DA laughed him out of the room. We were going to trial.
Preparing Noah for the trial was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I worked closely with a child psychologist to ensure he wouldn't be re-traumatized by having to face his grandmother in court.
"Mom," Noah asked me one night while we were reading in his bedroom. He was clinging to his inhaler—a habit he had developed since the attack, treating it like a security blanket. "Do I have to look at her?"
"No, sweetheart," I promised, kissing the top of his head. "You are going to speak to the judge on a TV screen from a very safe room. You just have to tell the truth. That's all."
"Will she be mad?"
"It doesn't matter if she's mad, Noah. She has no power anymore. You are the strongest boy I know."
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On the eve of the trial, Beatrice attempted one last, desperate power play. She showed up at Noah’s elementary school during recess, trying to approach the playground fence to talk to him.
The school resource officer tackled her to the concrete before she got within fifty feet. Her bail was immediately revoked, and she spent the night before her trial sitting in a cold cell.
