Glee 2015
Chapter 2 – Time To Die
Lima, Ohio Federal Courthouse. July 23, 2015 – 9AM EDT. Judge Wendall Stroller's Courtroom. Preliminary hearing for Sugar Motta, inmate 2476453.
Quinn Fabray, inner monolog: "I didn't know why my former classmate Sugar asked me to be her attorney, but the temptation was irresistible. I have one year left as a Harvard undergraduate, and need something beyond my 4.0 GPA to get into law school. What would be better than having been an actual attorney in a kidnapping/murder case? Sugar's clearly guilty, but if I can pursue a temporary insanity defense and save her from Death Row, I can write my career ticket now.
"The case is delicate – I was in the Glee Club with both Sugar and Rory. It has shocked my former classmates. Sugar was in Glee club for 3 years – she spent thousands of hours with the members, dated 4 of them (including Rory), and no one suspected that she had someone in her basement. Due to the scandal, the Glee Club is suspended at McKinley for the 2015-2016 school year, ending Glee's streak as the longest continuing extra-curricular activity at the school (57 years). Many Glee alumni are in the courtroom today, waiting to see if my actions help to heal, or create new wounds."
Sugar Motta, inner monolog: "This is the best day of my life since Senior Prom. Everyone in the Court room is watching me as I enter. They look at my face for signs of remorse, fear, pity, anger, and whatever those other emotions are. I'm double handcuffed, restrained at the waist and ankles, and they fear I can hurt them – well I can, but I won't say how just yet. And I actually make this orange jail jumpsuit look sexy. I hope this is a long trial. I want people paying lots of attention to me. Look at how trials made various has-beens important again – OJ Simpson, John Edwards, Oprah Winfrey, Jennifer Aniston. Court can be my ticket to stardom as well. So, let's give the cameras a saucy smile and show other suspects how court is done."
Bailiff Not Relevant Enough To Get A Name: "All rise. This hearing is now in session. Judge Wendall Stroller, presiding."
Judge Wendall Stroller: "Good morning. (raps gavel to let people sit) We are gathered for the preliminary hearing in the case of People vs. Sugar Motta. It is time for opening statements."
Sue Sylvester, rising from the back row: "I knew Ms. Motta was trouble 2 years ago. That was why I expelled her from the Cheerios."
Judge: "Order in the court. (bangs gavel) Let me rephrase. It is time for opening statements from the Prosecution and Defense. The audience will sit quietly."
John Flanagan: "But she murdered my brother Rory! I only have 12 brothers left!" (John's 12 brothers, parents, 8 sisters, various spouses, along with nieces and nephews all rise)
Judge: "Sit down or be removed from the Courtroom! Now, can we PLEASE have the opening statements?"
Prosecutor John Dewey: "If it pleases the court, we are here to deal with a very sad situation. A foreign exchange student – Rory Flanagan – came to Lima in 2011 to study in our school system. He missed his flight home in June 2012. For 2 years and 7 months, his family had no idea what happened to him. What they could never imagine in their worst nightmares was that his then-girlfriend, would be determined to hold onto him, and I quote Sugar's diary – 'little leprechaun', forever and ever. Decomposition of body suggests that Rory lived as the personal toy of Ms. Sugar Motta for 16 months before dying of an illness that could have been treated by a doctor. Sugar continued to keep the body secret in her basement from friends and family, going to Community College instead of a State University, so that she could continue to visit Rory daily. When 2 former classmates did discover the body, Sugar attempted to imprison them as well. The state of Ohio charges Ms. Motta with 3 charges of kidnapping, 1 charge of conspiracy, 1 charge of prolonged imprisonment, 1 charge of murder by depraved indifference, and 2 charges of attempting to bite off the ears of arresting officers. This hearing has been delayed for months while Ms. Motta has been examined by Psychologists and Psychiatrists to determine her mental state – she was found to be competent to stand trial, and she was competent when she committed the crimes. While the death of Rory Flanagan occurred before Ms. Motta turned 18, we believe these offenses require charging her as an adult on all charges, and the totality of the crimes would make the case eligible for a Death Penalty punishment."
Crowd shot – the people in attendance in the courtroom are mixed between those enthralled by Mr. Dewey's oratory and those sickened by the charges.
Defense counsel Quinn Fabray: "Your honor, officers of the court, and those gathered here today. A tragedy did occur here in Lima. A brilliant mind was affected and warped by unimaginable circumstances. There were four victims in this case – Rory Flanagan, Marley Rose, Kitty Wilde, and Sugar Motta herself. We are pursuing a defense of Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity."
Sugar Motta: "I object! I told you to plead Not Guilty!"
Quinn, whispering: "Shut up while I try to save your life here."
Judge: "Silence! The defendant is out of order! I feel you should realize, Ms. Motta, that the evidence against you is overwhelming. The body, the journal where you detail everything you did, your TV interview with Rod Remington detailing everything you did. You only have a trial because all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. While I question your choice to have a non-attorney as your counsel, she is doing her job correctly. You will not over-rule her. These are my final words on the matter." (Judge Wendall Stroller suddenly spots blood coming through his robes and falls over dead.)
Standing behind the dead judge is a bald man in an elegant suit, wearing a 1950s hat. His skin is pasty white. Moving faster than the human eye can focus, he uses the judge's blood to write on the front wall of the courtroom – "Surrender Humanity!" He then snaps the necks of the bailiff and the 4 other security officers in the room. Now he zooms over to Sugar Motta.
Bald well-dressed man: "Ms. Motta. Today human control over the planet Earth is at an end. These charges against you are no longer relevant. But someone as unstable as you may be dangerous for our new regime. I am saying this to explain to you why you are about to die."
Sugar grabs a letter opener from in front of Quinn and stabs the bald well-dressed man in the neck 16 times. Black blood oozes out of him and his face gets a look of surprise, before falling over dead. Sugar quickly finishes using her smuggled bobby-pin to release all her bonds.
Sugar: "No alien invasion is going to take the spotlight away from me. Creatures who can move at super human speed. We're facing the apocalyptic end to Western Civilization. Imagine the Impossiblities." Sugar's smile terrified the room.
To be continued … in The Death Toll Rises …