The jury had time to listen to the parties' final remarks before they went to a room to come with a verdict. The prosecution talked of their vast witnesses' testimonies, the hard concrete evidence they had against Ethan, and his own confession audio that the whole court had heard. She talked of the faults present in the defendant's side and how they failed to account for details like the slaps and the bruised body. She wanted the accused to be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The defense team talked of how their client was flirted with and how her counterpart wanted the consensual sex to happen. But their story wasn't backed up with a lot of real facts and hard evidence. The jury got everyone's side point of view and went out of the courtroom to a special room to decide and reach their verdict.
Elena got the stand again to say her victim impact statement to the court. She looked more composed this time and so calm. Her brave charisma had returned and she wasn't appearing all too frail.
"I knew a guy. And I trusted him. I loved him once, now not at all. His name was Ethan Purcell." She began in a soothing voice. "I loved and trusted Ethan to the point that I was willing to settle down with him and raise a family with him, he was a perfect guy. And any girl from our class would agree. But an unprecedented chain of events happened and it has led us all here. I thought I'd give him a kiss and he'll let me leave, but I gave him a kiss… and he left me bruised. I, Elena Stenfield was sexually defiled by him, a man I trusted. At my most vulnerable moment, he took his chances and had his way with me. It has left me changed. Emotionally, physically and psychologically. It has taken my strength and courage to be able to find the wits to stand here before you all despite all the shame I was feeling prior to this day. But today I feel like a conqueror, like a woman on a mission to let the whole world out there know that such things happen and that they might be scared to share them. But I call them today, women victimized of r*pe, to tell them that it is okay to feel hurt and ashamed, but yet again find justice in its wake. I hope that justice will be served here today. Justice for me and to the many Elena Stenfields out there. Thank you."
And with that she trekked back to her seat, seeming so confident. Elena's words kept bugging Ethan. She was so honest in her words avoiding any form of lies. He reflected on his own events at the court. The million lies that he had told. It was a part of him that had never existed before. His senses brought him back to the court after he had zoned out just in time when the jury came back with a verdict, written on a piece of paper. Their representative gave the paper to the judge, who passed it to his secretary to read aloud the verdict they had reached.
"In the King County District Court in King County, Seattle in the State of Washington, the State of Washington versus Ethan Purcell case number 1717CF005844D verdict as to the charge in the count, we the jury find the defendant Ethan Purcell guilty of sexual assault beyond reasonable doubt as charged in the enlighten case dated 23rd December 2016." Mrs. June Greenwood read out so clearly to the whole court and passed the sheet back to the judge.
The Stenfields felt happy, Elena more so. The anticipated news was a glimmer of sunlight despite the haze of lies of the 'he said, she saids' that had been obscuring the whole court from seeing the truth. Ingrid knew what this meant; dear older brother was going away. Ethan closed his eyes in submission to defeat when the verdict came back. He was hoping that somehow the jury would buy his story, but he knew that what he had said was just a big pile of nothing. Layla was calmer than her daughter despite some fears starting to show on her face. Paul acted beaten while Mrs. Jenna smiled on. She was enjoying Paul's humiliation. The judge asked the jury whether it was the verdict that each and every juror had come to. They all accepted without a thought. After Judge Freeman had finished talking with them, they were allowed to exit the courtroom before he would give further instructions and a heartwarming goodbye.
"I want to thank you all for being patient with us this day. It has been busy, and we've heard a lot. From both sides of the coin and my team of the jury has been able to come to its verdict within a short period of time. And now I know that all eyes are back to me... just as we had known when we began this trial." His coarse voice brought the court to a standstill. "However, I believe it's in my own legal right as a judge to overturn and overrule a jury's verdict if I'm not satisfied with it!"
Elena's eyes opened, wide and round as far as they could stretch in shock of the sudden statement. What did he mean? Where was he heading at? Paul acted so gently on the outside, seeming not shaken by the news. He was screaming with happiness inside nonetheless. Ingrid and her mother grasped each other at their palms as their hearts raced up. Layla knew what was going on, literally. Ingrid didn't. She even crossed her left first and second fingers and shut her eyes wishing for something favorable to happen. Ethan looked at the judge, heart pounding as loud as it could as he waited to hear those words he had been longing for from him, and he said them.
"But today won't be one of those days! Ethan Purcell, I Judge Freeman find you guilty of sexual assault."
Wait, what?
Paul looked at the judge, his heart beating faster as he tried to digest the twist. What the hell was he doing? That wasn't the plan! Ingrid dropped back on her seat and covered her mouth in devastating shock. Ethan looked at his father, scared.
"On the account of sexual assault, I sentence you fifteen years to be served in Garibay State Penitentiary in the State of Arizona. This case is closed!" He slammed the gavel once again. It took a moment before the realization of what had just happened sank into everyone's mind. The overturn took the Purcells, Stenfields, and all parties involved in the court by surprise.
Ethan dragged himself out of the prosecutor's desk, still in shock, to go for fingerprint submission among other personal details over at the secretary's desk. A female police officer was the one conducting the exercise. Paul looked at the judge who looked back at him with judgmental eyes. What had he just done?
"Return the boy to his father, I have one further announcement before he goes away." Judge Freeman told the police who was about to escort him through a door with a sign on it saying 'STRICTLY ONLY PERSONELL'. The female cop slowly walked Ethan back in handcuffs and he stood beside his father, tears trying to come out. Judge Freeman took out his phone and played audio on it, so loud that the whole court could hear it. The silence in there was too much, just the right thing that he wanted.
Bleep...
Voice 1: I'm here right now because he is guilty. If the sentence would be passed right now he would be heading to some state prison tomorrow morning.
Voice 2: We took some oaths, Paul. We cannot bend the rules to fit us and only us whenever we want. You're a good man. Your son, even better. But what he did was wrong. There is no escaping that.
Voice 1: .....Don't sentence him to be guilty on the first trial. Set a later date for his second trial. Do anything else. Just don't send him to prison. Allow him to be granted permission to come home from the jails of the Precinct Department...
And Paul recognized the voices, so did Ethan and the whole court. Paul covered his face in shame. He remembered the conversation clearly when he had gone to talk to the judge a few weeks ago. Then it clearly hit him; how Freeman had taken the phone from his coat and talked to someone on the other end, dialed some things and probably that's how he had started recording the conversation. The audio played out to the end. And he repeated it once again just for everyone to be sure. To add to that, he revealed the briefcase with the money.
"Ethan, look at me." Judge Freeman told him.
Ethan had been facing down, face full of shame and disgrace. He slowly raised his head and looked at the judge. Freeman looked like a king up there, in control of his kingdom.
"Ethan, I've known you for a long time. And trust me you're not a bad man. Whatever evil propelled you to do what you did to that young woman over there and come and lie to the whole court, put it behind you. Because that's not you. You're far much better. I hope that the time I've given you will let you contemplate what you've done, and when you get out in fifteen years, I hope that you will be a changed man."
Ethan broke down in tears, the guilt washing all over him. He finally let the world see just how wrong he was. He was beaten. By the truth and the guilt.
"As for you, Paul Purcell... you know I love you. And I consider you as my brother. I love my job too. But this is law we're talking about here and if we allow things like what you're trying to do, many more will see the weakness in that and take advantage of it. As long as I sit here, criminals will never go unpunished." He turned to the cops standing next to the secretary's desk. "Police, arrest this man!" Judge Freeman gave out the order.
"No!" Ingrid rose up from her seat yelping in a loud voice. Layla rose up from her seat too. The vice president's eyes opened to the shock. Everyone's face expressed confusion. Nobody saw this coming, not from a mile away.
A police officer walked towards Paul and got him in cuffs while telling him the Amanda rights. "You are under arrest for bribery. You have the right to remain silent..."
"Dad!" Ingrid shrieked out in a loud voice. "No! Stop doing this!"
Ethan looked behind him as he was led towards that door, to where it would end up with him being in a prison. Behind him, he saw the female police, with a serious face on as she led him away from the eye of the court. On the first bench was the vice president, still in shock for her own reasons, digesting what had happened and how fast it had occurred, with her bodyguards not far from her. And over there next to the public's door was his father, hands behind his back and locked in cuffs as he was led out by two police officers. At the second bench at the public gallery were the Stenfields, celebrating their huge victory. Happy tears from Elena were visible; she was happy at that moment. And further much behind them, he saw Ingrid crying bitterly as she watched him and his father being led away to some destinations. And her mom was now seating beside her, covering her face with her hands in shame, probably sobbing in isolation of the mind. Lastly, there was the smiling Lance Harper. The reason why all this happened; the reason why everyone was here today; the mastermind. And he was smiling; a smile as bright and wide as never before.