Chapter 13 - The Trial Begins
The courtroom was smaller than I imagined.
No giant gallery.
No dramatic television cameras.
Wood benches.
Fluorescent ceiling lights.
A clock I checked constantly.
Derek wore a gray suit.
No handcuffs before jury.
He looked tired.
Calm.
The opening statements were almost disappointingly simple.
Sarah Dean:
"This case is about what happened inside a stationary vehicle and what happened after."
She described:
Emma leaving.
Financial exposure.
Physical assault.
Fabricated accident.
Hospital.
Defense attorney Rebecca Sloan stood.
"This case is about a collapsing marriage, a mutual struggle, and the difference between an intentional attack and a terrible accident."
No insults.
No crazy wife.
Their earlier strategy had matured.
Then Officer Webb testified.
He did not see assault.
He documented hospital, vehicle, phone.
The defense asked:
"Could Emma's blood reach steering wheel from accidental impact?"
"Yes."
"Could a struggle produce scratches on Derek?"
"Yes."
"Did you witness who initiated?"
"No."
Good.
Then telematics expert.
SUV stationary.
No crash.
Both sides stipulated no road collision occurred.
Then Mrs. Powell.
Scream.
Male voice.
Text timestamp.
Defense asked:
"Are you one hundred percent certain the words were 'look what you made me do'?"
She thought.
"I'm certain enough that I texted my husband about the fight."
Not perfection.
Then financial investigator.
Limited testimony.
Derek had obtained $68,000 loan without authorization.
Emma had printed evidence and planned divorce.
Derek knew she discovered.
Defense conceded financial wrongdoing.
Then digital forensic analyst.
The note.
6:13: She's leaving.
6:14: She knows about loan.
6:16: I fucked up.
6:16: Need accident.
6:17: Car story easiest.
6:18: She has to be alone.
The jury listened.
Defense asked:
"Does any line say 'I assaulted Emma'?"
"No."
"Does 'I fucked up' tell us whether injury was intentional?"
"No."
"Could 'need accident' mean he decided to hide a mutual fight?"
"Possible."
Then incident list.
Wrist gym.
Ribs bathroom.
Neck scarf.
Face car.
Defense emphasized genuine injuries also listed.
"So the list is not a list of assaults."
"Correct."
That honesty helped prosecution more than exaggeration would.
Then Dr. Price.
The nasal and orbital fractures.
"Are they consistent with forceful facial impact?"
"Yes."
"Could they occur from one impact?"
"Yes."
"Could they occur if another person intentionally drives the head forward?"
"Yes."
"Can medicine tell jury which happened?"
"No."
Then scalp tenderness.
Consistent with hair pulling.
Could be from struggling.
Again.
Then neck bruises.
Older.
The judge allowed limited context.
Derek denied strangulation.
No charge.
Then the defense expert.
Biomechanical engineer.
One strong impact against steering wheel could explain injuries.
Prosecution agreed.
No battle of absurd experts.
Then Sarah asked:
"Would an actual collision sufficient to cause this usually leave other evidence?"
"Depending circumstances, yes."
But there was no collision anyway.
Then the jury heard the hospital story.
Guardrail.
Pole.
Seat belt.
No airbag.
The defense said Derek lied after panic.
The prosecution said the lie was designed because he knew how Emma was injured.
Then Carla was called.
I watched her walk past Derek.
She did not look at me.
Witness discipline.
She took oath.
The prosecutor asked:
"Did you know what happened to Emma Carter when she arrived?"
"No."
"What did you know?"
"That she was injured and not answering freely."
Then the paper appeared on screen.
DO YOU FEEL SAFE GOING HOME?
NO.
My tiny checkmark looked enormous projected for twelve strangers.
I started shaking.
Jenna squeezed her own hands beside me, not touching until I nodded.
Carla testified calmly.
Derek answered.
I trembled.
His knee pressed.
The story changed.
She wrote.
I marked no.
She pressed security alert.
Then the defense stood.
"Ms. Bennett, you didn't witness anything in a garage."
"No."
"You don't know whether Emma struck her face accidentally."
"No."
"You suspected abuse."
"I suspected she did not feel safe."
"And that's different?"
"Yes."
That answer seemed to hang in the room.
May you like
The case was not about Carla knowing.
It was about Carla asking.
