Chapter 13 - The Trial of the Century-13
Four months later.
The Multnomah County Courthouse was swarming with news cameras, journalists, and spectators.
The trial of The State of Oregon v. Theresa Vance and David Vance had officially commenced.
I sat in the front row of the courtroom, wearing an elegant navy suit, holding my four-month-old son, Ethan, who was now healthy, chubby, and babbling happily in my arms. Beside me sat Samantha Sterling, who had moved to Portland to assist the prosecution and protect her unborn child.
On the defense side sat David and Theresa.
Theresa looked aged, her once-immaculate hair now gray and messy, wearing a yellow jail jumpsuit. David sat slumped beside his public defender, refusing to look in my direction.
The lead prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Marcus Miller, presented our evidence with devastating efficiency.
One by one, the prosecution witnesses took the stand:
Dr. Aris Thorne testified regarding the toxic levels of Diphenhydramine in Ethan's blood.
Detective Briggs presented the physical poison bottle and the forged will.
The resort manager from Key West testified about the declined cards and David's arrogant behavior.
And finally, Samantha Sterling took the stand, detailing David’s double life and his plans to flee the country.
When it was my turn to testify, I walked up to the witness stand with absolute calm.
I looked directly at the jury, then at David and Theresa.
"Mrs. Vance," District Attorney Miller asked. "What did your husband say to you when you begged him to call an ambulance for your three-day-old son?"
I adjusted the microphone. "He told me that his mother had raised four healthy children, that I was just a hysterical woman who had been a mother for three days, and that he was going to Key West because he needed distance from my drama."
A collective gasp echoed through the courtroom gallery. Two female jurors visibly shook their heads in utter disgust.
Theresa jumped up from her seat, screaming at the jury: "She's lying! She poisoned the baby herself to frame us! She's crazy!"
"Order in the court!" the judge slammed his gavel down sharply. "Sit down, Mrs. Vance, or I will have you gagged!"
David buried his face in his hands, weeping quietly as the jury watched the spectacle.
May you like
The defense didn't even bother presenting a closing argument. The evidence was too overwhelming, the forensic paper trail too complete, and the moral depravity of the defendants too absolute.
The jury deliberated for precisely forty-two minutes.
