Chapter 8 - The Verdict
The jury deliberated for less than four hours.
When the courtroom reconvened at 4:00 PM on a rainy Friday afternoon, the atmosphere was so tense that no one seemed to breathe.
"Will the defendant please rise?" Judge Sterling ordered.
Marianne stood up slowly, her defense lawyer standing beside her looking grim.
I held Daniel’s hand tightly in the front row of the gallery, our fingers intertwined.
"Mr. Foreman," Judge Sterling asked, "has the jury reached a unanimous verdict?"
"We have, Your Honor," an elderly gentleman in the front row of the jury box announced, reading from a white slip of paper.
"On Count One, Assault in the First Degree against a Minor, how do you find the defendant?"
"Guilty."
A sharp, collective gasp echoed through the courtroom. Marianne gasped, grabbing the edge of the table.
"On Count Two, Illegal Administration of a Controlled Substance?"
"Guilty."
"On Count Three, Felony Child Endangerment?"
"Guilty."
"On Count Four, Grand Financial Theft and Fiduciary Conversion?"
"Guilty."
Guilty on all counts.
Judge Sterling didn't hesitate. He looked down at Marianne with utter disdain.
"Marianne Carter," Judge Sterling stated coldly. "You abused the sanctity of your family, betrayed the trust of your son, and put an innocent infant’s life in grave jeopardy out of pure, narcissistic arrogance. I sentence you to fifteen years at the Marysville Correctional Institution for Women, without the possibility of parole for ten years."
The gavel came down with a heavy, final thud.
As court officers stepped forward to place steel handcuffs around Marianne’s wrists, her brother Arthur stood up in the gallery, screaming at the prosecutor, before being restrained and escorted out by bailiffs.
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Marianne turned her head, looking at Daniel and me one last time as she was led away toward the holding cell door.
I didn't look away. I looked her straight in the eye, holding my chin high, showing her that the timid girl she had tried to bully had completely defeated her.
