Chapter 8 - Justice Rendered
The jury took less than two hours to deliberate.
When the judge asked the jury foreman to read the verdict, a tense silence fell over the room.
"On count one, attempted first-degree murder, we find the defendant Eleanor Mercer... Guilty."
"On count two, felony child abuse, we find the defendant Eleanor Mercer... Guilty."
"On count one, attempted first-degree murder, we find the defendant Vanessa Mercer... Guilty."
"On count two, felony child abuse, we find the defendant Vanessa Mercer... Guilty."
The courtroom erupted into quiet gasps and murmurs of approval. Vanessa began screaming at her lawyer, kicking at the table, while Eleanor sat frozen in shock as the reality of her fate sank in.
Three weeks later, sentencing was pronounced.
The judge showed zero leniency. Given the calculated, financial motive behind the crime and the extreme brutality inflicted on a six-year-old child, Eleanor Mercer was sentenced to thirty-five years in state prison. Vanessa Mercer, having personally inflicted the physical blows, was sentenced to forty-five years without the possibility of parole.
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As they were led away in chains, Vanessa turned to look at me one last time, her eyes filled with defeat. I didn't look at her with hatred; I looked at her with complete indifference. They no longer had any power over my life or my son's future.
The judge officially dissolved all family ties, stripped Eleanor of any contingent claims to my father’s estate, and granted me absolute, unassailable legal guardship over Eli’s trust.
