Chapter 8 - The Preliminary Hearing
Three weeks later, the municipal courthouse was packed to capacity for the joint preliminary hearing.
Richard sat at the defense table, hollow-eyed and emaciated after nearly a month in county lockup. Evelyn sat two chairs down, refusing to look in his direction, her defense team already attempting to sever her case from his.
Judge Holbrook presided once more.
Instead of subjecting Maya to the trauma of testifying in the open courtroom, ADA Ruiz secured permission for her testimony to be taken via closed-circuit video link from a private, child-friendly room on the third floor.
On the courtroom’s high-definition projection screens, Maya appeared on video, seated beside a court-appointed therapy dog. Her bruised lip had fully healed, but her posture was straight, her gaze steady.
"Maya," ADA Ruiz asked gently over the microphone. "Can you tell the court what happened on your birthday?"
Maya looked directly into the camera lens. Her voice did not waver.
"My grandma told me that I was a mistake who shouldn't have been born. Then she threw cake at me. When I started to cry, my father slapped me across the face as hard as he could. He said that was my gift."
The courtroom air went ice cold. Richard bowed his head, unable to meet the screen.
"And what did your father say after that, Maya?"
"He told everyone I deserved it," Maya replied softly. "And he told me that no matter what I did, nobody would ever believe me over him. But he was wrong. My mom believed me. And Daniel told the truth."
Several jurors wiped tears from their eyes.
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When the prosecution rested, Richard’s new attorney stood up to announce that the defense was withdrawing all motions for dismissal and requested an immediate recess to discuss a negotiated plea.
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