Chapter 19 - Sentencing
Sentencing was harder than verdict.
Verdicts answer:
Did they do it?
Sentencing asks:
What do we do with someone you still remember as a child?
Grant stood first.
He was thirty nine.
No prior felony record.
Violent history as teenager but no adult convictions.
Serious conduct.
Vulnerable victim.
Financial motive.
False report.
Attempt to retrieve recorder instead of aid.
Judge imposed effective state term of twenty two years, with parole eligibility governed by Montana law and credit rules, plus federal term mostly concurrent but with eighteen months consecutive for separate fraud conduct.
After count mergers and later technical correction, effective total became roughly twenty three years and six months.
He appealed.
One lesser count merged.
Sentence reduced by four months.
Core convictions affirmed.
Celia’s sentencing:
Thirty seven.
No prior record.
No physical shove herself.
But planning, verbal encouragement, false narrative, forged documents, and continuation of fraud after knowing I survived.
Effective state term sixteen years.
Federal term largely concurrent plus twelve months consecutive.
Later appellate merger reduced effective total to sixteen years eight months.
Convictions remained.
Owen:
Three years incarceration as negotiated.
Venn:
Twenty eight months federal.
No hundred year revenge.
No one walked free.
At Celia’s sentencing she spoke.
“I believed Mother had spent our entire lives controlling us with money.”
I listened.
“She gave, then judged. She kept Blackridge secret. She made us feel like children begging.”
Some truth.
Then:
“I wanted what I believed was our share.”
Judge answered:
“Inheritance is not a debt owed by the living.”
Silence.
Then:
“Whatever emotional injuries existed, you answered them with attempted homicide and fraud.”
That was all.
Grant refused apology.
He said:
“I didn’t intend death.”
The judge replied:
“You left a physically impaired woman in freezing conditions after throwing her from moving vehicle. Intent is reflected in actions, not only preferred memory.”
Marcus did not attend.
I asked why.
“It’s family sentencing.”
“You are part of why I’m alive.”
“Still not family.”
May you like
He was right.
At least then.
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