Chapter 18 - The Video That Broke the Courtroom
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The jury deliberated for less than three hours.
When the foreperson stood to read the verdict, the tension in the courtroom was thick enough to cut with a knife.
"On the count of attempted murder in the first degree," the foreperson announced clearly, "how do you find the defendant?"
"Guilty."
"On the count of attempted fetal homicide..."
"Guilty."
"On the count of conspiracy to commit financial fraud and obstruction of emergency aid..."
"Guilty on all counts, Your Honor."
Evelyn didn't gasp. She didn't weep. She stiffened her spine, staring straight ahead at the judge’s bench with icy defiance. When the judge asked if she had any final statement before sentencing, she stood up and demanded to be addressed as Lady Armitage, citing ancient family charters.
The judge looked down over his spectacles, his expression carved from stone. "In this courtroom, Mrs. Armitage, inflated titles do not shield you from accountability. You planned and executed a brutal, cowardly attack on an innocent woman and your own unborn grandchild."
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The sentence was swift and absolute: consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole for thirty years, coupled with the total seizure of all hidden assets and trusts.
As the bailiffs placed her in handcuffs and led her away through the side doors, Evelyn cast one final, venomous glance back at the gallery. But her reign was over. The gilded cage had finally become a real prison.
