OCTOBER 16TH, 9:52 AM,
REDDING COURTROOM No.2
As we sat in the courtroom listening to the prosecutor interrogate Sam, I started to lose hope about Sam's freedom. The two cattle thieves, the ones that actually did it, were the star witnesses. Why would anyone believe one person's view if two people are saying the opposite? As the prosecutor finishes, I wonder how Sams attorney might handle what just happened. The prosecutor, a man named Miles Edgeworth, did very well, using the evidence and the witnesses testimonies to grill Sam harder than I've ever seen. For a normal man, Mr. Edgeworth would make him crack, but this was no ordinary man. This was my brother, the toughest man I've ever met. The prosecutor sits, and the Judge asks the defense in he has anything to add. The defense rises and murmurs the words, "No, your Honor". It hit me like a bayonet through the chest, even Sams attorney had lost hope. I began to cry because I know exactly what's coming next. The Judge rises and says "Well, then it seems that the verdict has become very obvious." the Judge's gavel rises then falls, the word erupted from his mouth, "Guilty!"
Suddenly, the doors of the courtroom burst open, "Objection!" The words echo through the silent courtroom. A man stands there, wearing a dark blue suit with a gray vest and a red tie. His black hair was slicked back and a grin was spread across his face. "What is the meaning of this!" the Judge yelled across the courtroom. "Objection, your honor!" said the man confidently "What?" The Judge questioned. "I said objection, you can't possibly come to the conclusion of guilty." "What is this? Who are you?" Questioned the Judge as well as I mentally. "I, your Honor, am Phoenix Wright, the new defense attorney of my client Sam Meeker, and I will prove that he is undoubtedly innocent!" The Judge sat there puzzled, not knowing what to do. He looked over toward Sam (looking even more puzzled than the Judge). Sam, realizing this man was his only hope for freedom, he nodded and said "Yes, he's my lawyer, I hired him.". "Alright then, go on." The Judge said reluctantly. Mr. Wright confidently strided over to the defence table. "I would like to begin by cross examining the witnesses your Honor." "Go on". The bailiff lead the witnesses to the stand. Phoenix Wright stood up and started to speak. "I would like you to recall the incident". The witnesses sat there puzzled and a little worried, most likely because of this man's confidence in finding the real culprit. The man on the right began to speak. "Well, me and my friend here were walking along the road away from the camp, that's when we saw a dark figure running across the field next to the road. He had a bayonet in his hand and was running toward the cattle. We saw him knock over a cattle and slit its throat. That's when we realized what he was doing. We hopped the fence surrounding the field and bolted towards the figure. We overpowered him and took the bayonet. We looked at his face and we instantly knew it was him. That's all." "Well, Mr. Phoenix Wright," Said the Judge sarcastically, "You may cross examine the witnesses testimony."
Phoenix Wright walked toward the witnesses stand and began to speak. "I would like to ask you one thing, what exactly were you doing walking along a road away from the camp?" Phoenix Wright smiled and began to speak again. "Now you may know that you could be convicted of desertion if you do not have a proper reason. So what were you doing on the road?" The witnesses looked at each other nervously. They knew that they needed a good reason to cover up their mistake. The left one now started to speak. We…uh…we were delivering a letter for the general." "Then may we see the letter please?" "What do you mean? We delivered it." "No you didn't, It's not possible for you to have turned in Mr. Meeker AND delivered the letter!" The courtroom burst into commotion. "Order in the court!" The Judge yelled while slamming down his gavel repeatedly. "Did you or did you not deliver the letter?!" "We...uh...um...we did...uh...your Honor" Said the right man nervously. "Close, but not close enough." I murmured. Phoenix Wright, quickly recovered from the defeat and asked a follow up question. "I would now like you to recall what you saw of the cow when you arrived at the scene." It took a short time for either of them to speak. The left man started to slowly speak. "When we arrived we saw the cow on the ground dead. It had a cut going along the bottom of the cow and its head was half decapitated. "Objection!" Phoenix Wright yelled with an extended arm and finger. "Your honor, he just contradicted himself!" "How?" Questioned the Judge. Holding up a piece of paper and lightly hitting it with the back of his hand, Wright said "In the witness's previous testimony, he stated that '...We saw him knock over a cattle and slit its throat. That's when we realized what he was doing. We hopped the fence surrounding the field and bolted towards the figure.' The witness never stated that they saw the figure continue the cutting of the beast. So where did all of the other cuts come from?" "Witnesses, do you have an explanation for this?" The Judge asked. The right man began to speak very nervously and he was now sweating profusely. "Oh...uh...its, um, simple! While we were running across the field we saw the figure hacking and slashing at the beast! That's when the cuts were made!" "Objection!" Wright once again had and extended finger and had a huge grin across his face. "I've got you. I've finally got you." "What do you mean?!" The right man said very frantically. Phoenix Wright held up a folder with papers in it and again began to lightly hit it with the back of his hand. "This is a report written by your General after he saw the damages to the cattle. Please allow me to read an excerpt" "Go ahead." said the Judge curiously. Phoenix Wright began to walk around the courtroom while reading "...The cow was knocked onto the ground with its throat slit deep enough to almost decapitate it. A clean, professional cut ran along the underside of the cow…" "Objection!" This time the objection came from the prosecutor which was mostly silent the entire time Phoenix Wright was in the courtroom. He was standing up with his hands flat on the table, and had a very worried face as well. "How is this relevant? We already know the details of the cows slaughtering!" "Yes, how IS this relevant Mr. Wright?" Said the Judge. "This is more relevant than you can ever imagine, your Honor. The General states that the cut was professional. The way the witness described the cutting of the cattle was anything but. Quote '...we saw the figure hacking and slashing at the beast…' End quote. The courtroom burst into even greater commotion. "One...last...thing" Phoenix Wright said with his hands on his hips, confidently. "I would like to ask the witness on the right...what was your occupation before you joined the revolution?" The entire courtroom went silent waiting for an answer. After a few seconds the right witness began to quietly murmur. "I...uh...um…*gulp*" He looked around the silent room. A look of defeat spread across his face. "I, sir, was a butcher, and I was the one that slaughtered that cow." My mouth, along with everyone else's in the courtroom (Besides Phoenix Wright and the right witness) had dropped. Minutes went by with everyone just looking at each other. Then the Judge began to speak. "Well, um…it appears that the witness has admitted to his guiltiness. However, Mr. Wright you have to prove the other witness as guilty to prove Mr. Meeker as innocent." "Easy." Phoenix wright said surprisingly confident. "Alright, go ahead" Phoenix wright pulled out a file and began to hit it with the back of his hand. "One word: 'we'. I rest my case!" Everyone in the courtroom went silent in a very confused fashion. Finally the Judge spoke. "I hate to disappoint Mr. Wright, but the word 'we' says nothing to prove him guilty." "Yes it does, your Honor. Just take a look at the original testimony. WE saw a dark figure, WE were walking, WE realized. It's all in we's, if the one witness is guilty, the other is guilty, it's quite simple." The Judge replied with silence. I looked around the room, many people looked eager for a response. The witness was looking down trying to hide his tears, and Miles Edgeworth had his face in his hands. Phoenix however was confidently putting his hands on his hips. The Judge started to speak "Well, then it seems that the verdict has become very obvious." the Judge's gavel rises then falls. "Not Guilty!"
The End