Chapter 14 - The Sentence-14
"Will the defendants please rise?" the judge ordered.
David and Theresa stood up, shaking uncontrollably.
"On Count One, Attempted Murder in the First Degree: Guilty."
"On Count Two, Child Endangerment with Severe Injury: Guilty."
"On Count Three, Conspiracy to Commit Grand Larceny and Fraud: Guilty."
"On Count Four, Forgery and Uttering: Guilty."
Theresa let out a strangled gasp and collapsed into her chair. David sobbed loudly, clutching his attorney’s sleeve like a child.
The judge adjusted his glasses, looking down at the defendants with stern, unyielding severity.
"In my thirty years on the bench," the judge declared, "I have rarely encountered a level of cold, calculated cruelty equal to what you displayed toward a defenseless, three-day-old infant. You abandoned a child in critical medical condition for greed, vanity, and luxury."
He turned to Theresa Vance.
"Theresa Vance, for your leading role in this conspiracy, I sentence you to forty-five years in the Oregon State Penitentiary without the possibility of parole."
Theresa screamed as bailiffs grabbed her arms, dragging her out of the courtroom as she kicked and shouted curses.
The judge turned to David Vance.
"David Vance, you betrayed your holy duty as a father and a husband. You traded your newborn son's life for a luxury vacation and a secret lifestyle. I sentence you to thirty-five years in federal prison, to run consecutively with state charges."
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"Valerie! Save me!" David shrieked as steel handcuffs were locked around his wrists. "Valerie!"
I didn't say a word. I simply stood up, adjusted Ethan’s soft blanket over his shoulders, and walked out of the courtroom without looking back once.
