Chapter 13 - The Verdicts
After four grueling days of intense testimony and deliberating for less than three hours, the jury returned with their verdict.
The foreperson stood up and read the formal judgments aloud: guilty on every single count across the board.
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Trevor was convicted of second-degree burglary, domestic assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy, and extortion. Eleanor was found guilty of racketeering, financial fraud, witness intimidation, and orchestrating a federal privacy breach. Briana, whose cooperation came too late to avoid culpability but earned her a slightly mitigated sentencing recommendation, was convicted of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit extortion.
The courtroom fell into a heavy, resonant silence as the reality of the verdict settled over the defendants. Eleanor let out a choked gasp before weeping openly into her hands, while Trevor buried his face in his arms, finally confronting the complete ruin he had brought upon his own life through cowardice and greed.
