Sooner Secrets by Shelley L. Levisay

Author:Shelley L. Levisay [Levisay, Shelley L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Legal thriller; public defender; domestic violence; courtroom drama; murder trial
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2021-11-21T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 30

At 1:25, Judge Henson took the bench and signaled for the jury to enter. Mary Ann stood on behalf of the State and read the Information as required by law. She tried to appear interested, but this was routine, and she had read it many times. Then, the magic words started her opening, “To this the Defendant has entered a plea of not guilty placing at issue every element of this crime.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is a case of greed and buyer’s remorse. The Defendant met and married Devon Brown within a year of meeting. It was a whirlwind romance. Devon was a star athlete, academic all-star, and from a wealthy family. A couple years into the marriage, they had their daughter Ashley. The Defendant had it all. She didn’t have to work. She lived in a large house and had everything she wanted, but somewhere along the way, this wasn’t enough for her. She was tired of being a wife and a mother and wanted those partying years back that she missed as a new wife and mother. As the marriage between them deteriorated, she devised a plan to get rid of her problem—her husband. Once he died, she would receive a substantial life insurance policy, the house, and all the money he made during the marriage. She would be set. She could do what she wanted.

“The evidence will show that only three people were in the home that night: The Defendant, the deceased, and their six-year-old daughter. The deceased was stabbed in the back. The six-year-old was asleep in her bedroom. Thankfully, she did not have to witness her father’s slaughter. The Defendant was the only one with the opportunity to kill her husband. Devon Brown had no chance to react because the Defendant stabbed him in the back with the largest knife in their kitchen. He immediately went down and died within seconds. I suspect that the defense will argue that she was a battered woman and had no choice, but don’t fall for it. It is shameful to assassinate the character of the murder victim when they have no chance to defend themselves. Ladies and gentlemen, you will notice that she never claimed to be this victim of abuse until after she killed her husband. At the end of this case, I will ask you to find her guilty and send her to prison for the rest of her life.”

As soon as Mary Ann sat down. Judge Henson asked, “Ms. Miller, do you wish to make your opening statement now or reserve?”

“Now, Your Honor,” she answered and moved toward the podium. “My life or his? That was the question that Claire Brown was faced with on the night in question. After years of physical, psychological, sexual, and financial abuse, she knew it was either her or him, and she fought back for the first time. As she struggled for breath against the kitchen counter, she grabbed the knife drying in the dish rack. She stabbed where she could reach, just hoping to disarm him.

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