Chapter 7 - The Criminal Trial
November brought the cold weather and Carla's criminal trial.
Because of the video evidence Megan had provided, Carla’s defense attorney knew a trial would be a bloodbath. Two days before jury selection, Carla finally broke. Facing a potential fifteen-year sentence if convicted by a jury, she accepted a harsh plea deal from the District Attorney.
I sat in the front row of the criminal courtroom to watch her plead guilty to Felony Aggravated Child Abuse.
Carla stood before the judge in a drab, oversized jail jumpsuit, her arrogant summer dresses and smug attitude long gone. She looked frail, terrified, and utterly alone. My parents weren't even in the gallery; they were barred from attending due to the restraining order I had secured.
When the judge asked her how she plead, her voice was barely a whisper. "Guilty, Your Honor."
She was sentenced to seven years in a state penitentiary, with a mandatory minimum of four years before she would even be eligible for a parole hearing. As the bailiff stepped forward to handcuff her and lead her away to processing, she turned her head and looked back at me.
May you like
There was a desperate, pleading look in her eyes—a silent beg for the older sister she had abused to somehow step in and fix it, just like our parents had always fixed her messes.
I didn't blink. I didn't smile. I just looked right through her, holding her gaze until the heavy wooden door of the holding cell clicked shut behind her.
