Chapter 4: One-Two Punch

January 29th, 2018

10:56 AM

The jury filed into their seats beside the courtroom floor. They comprised of fairly randomly selected individuals from all walks of life, though more often than not they were mildly confused adults happy to be spending a weekday morning displaced from their took off coats and hats and talked about how they should have worn less today. The temperature had actually broken 40 degrees on an otherwise dreary Monday morning, and it was the first day in weeks that it hadn't snowed. The banks of blackened snow built up on the roadside still wouldn't melt down until sometime in March, they speculated.

Matt looked to Foggy, who sat beside him. This wasn't the first trial they had done since they got back together, but Matt still couldn't help but think about how glad he was to be working with his best friend again. Foggy was neither excited nor bored, instead demonstrating a professional sort of complacency when it came to waiting.

Nobody in the room seemed to be feeling particularly strongly about the imminent trial, actually, besides their defendant. Melvin Potter's heart was racing, though Matt was sure that Melvin wore his nervousness so obviously on his face and in his body language that even a not-blind man could see it.

"Relax, Melvin. Everything's going to be okay." Matt turned in his chair to give Melvin an encouraging smile. Melvin didn't respond but seemed to take the reassurance to heart. Matt could tell the simple comment had calmed him down significantly.

Opposing them today was Gary Feinstein from the District Attorney's Office. Nelson, Murdock & Page had a complicated relationship with New York City's prosecution. On one hand, they were both legitimately interested in securing justice and had worked together to imprison Wilson Fisk- twice. On the other hand they represented opposing sides in the courtroom. Foggy had once considered Feinstein a friend, but as Nelson had prevented more and more of his accused from ending up behind bars they had grown further apart.

Once everyone had settled down, the judge loudly cleared his throat into the microphone. He spoke more casually than one not experienced with court trials might expect, but this was of course a more casual case. It didn't call for the pomp and circumstance of say, The People v. Frank Castle.

"Good morning everybody. Let me just tell you about what we'll be doing today. We'll start with the opening statements of the attorneys. First the State will have an opportunity to make an opening statement, and then the defense will have an opportunity to make an opening statement. After the opening statements we will break for lunch, and then we will return for the presentation of the evidence."

"Now, the opening statement is not evidence," the judge continued, "it is just an introduction to the attorney's case, a prelude if you will to what they believe the evidence will show. Okay, at this time we're ready for opening statements."

January 29th, 2018

11:01 AM

Karen rang the doorbell of a white-brick apartment on 52nd Street. It was a product of the upscale housing put up by the Kingpin and his initial criminal cabal after the Battle of New York, after the Hulk flattened whatever was there before, and it must cost a small fortune to live in.

A few minutes passed. People usually came to the door at least to tell Karen to go away, it was why she opted to come in person instead of call. There was something about phone calls and emails that people just found easy to ignore. Much harder to ghost somebody that was standing right in front of you.

"What?" A white woman in her forties answered the door with deliberately obvious annoyance. She was still in a nightgown, her hair was undone, and from her red and irritated face Karen could tell she had been crying.

"Hi, I'm Karen Page. I was hoping to speak with William Riggle."

"Bill? I kicked the old bastard out."

"What?..I don't understand." It was a common phrase for Karen, despite how bright she was. The kinds of things she looked into tend not to make sense at first. That, and it got people to divulge information more often than asking directly did.

"Check his social media account. He's been cheating on me with some bitch from work, Christine Joyce. Helped make a bunch of kiddy porn too, with underage prisoners."

"Mrs. Riggle, I think your husband is innocent. Of those two things at least. I think someone is running a smear campaign against him." Karen also commonly revealed that she had been playing dumb by suddenly manifesting informed opinions like this. People didn't usually notice.

"Yeah right. I know who you work with, Karen Page. I don't need any lawyers, me and Bill are through." The lady said bitterly before slamming the door in Karen's face.

"Ms. Page." A voice called to Karen from several feet to the right. It was a fairly old man, wearing a gray, sleeveless undershirt and blue jeans. He didn't even have shoes on but instead covered his feet with only a plain pair of white socks. She had assumed they were a homeless person, and technically she was right.

"I'm the person you're looking for." he said. "Would you like to take a walk with me?"

January 29th, 2018

11:01 AM

"Permission to approach the jury, your Honor?" Gary Feinstein asked as he sauntered up to the small podium facing the jurors. He didn't bother to wait for a response because the response was always 'Permission granted'. It was just a formality.

"People of the jury. I don't want to waste your time here today, so let's just get to the facts. What we have here is a simple case of a prison escape gone wrong. Melvin Potter here was two months into a seven year sentence at Ryker's Island when he conspired with a number of individuals to escape lawful custody on the night of January 25th, last Thursday. Three of the individuals were Ryker's Island staff, and two were fellow inmates serving life sentences."

"Unfortunately the story doesn't end there. After a disagreement amongst the conspirators, shooting broke out in an abandoned building on the corner of 20th & 33rd in Queens. In order to escape his fellow conspirators, Melvin Potter coerced officer Betsy Beatty to drive him out of the city. A shootout ensued, in which officer Beatty was shot and killed."

"Under New York Penal Code Act 328 Section 193 Melvin Potter is subject to up to 5 years additional imprisonment for escaping lawful custody. He also coerced a police officer into committing a misdemeanour and violating her duty as a public servant, which constitutes coercion in the first degree. Under Act 135 Section 65, that is a class D felony subject up to 7 years imprisonment. And let's not forget the Pinkerton Liability rule, which states that all parties to an unlawful conspiracy may be found guilty of substantive offenses committed in furtherance of the conspiracy."

"Melvin Potter's involvement in this prison break indirectly resulted in the deaths of three individuals. The minimum sentence for a class A felony such as murder in the first degree is 15 years. For those of you keeping count, that means the minimum sentence for Mr. Potter is 57 years in prison. However allow me to point out that the reason Potter was able to coerce officer Beatty into assisting in his escape in the first place was because of the relationship they had built during Betsy's time as Mr. Potter's parole officer."

"That's right, three years ago Melvin was let out of prison on parole after being arrested for larceny and the destruction of property. Late last year he was imprisoned again for not only violating parole, but for obstructing justice and assaulting several members of law enforcement. Melvin Potter had his second chance- it didn't work. This man is a danger to society, guilty of a laundry list of felonies including three counts of murder in the first degree. People of New York, I'm sure we are all too familiar with criminals such as Mr. Potter running around, thinking they can do whatever they want. It's up to you to prove them wrong. Help put this man away and you'll be doing your part."

Gary dipped his head slightly as some kind of faux bow and returned to his seat. He shot Matt and Foggy a sideways glance before looking back to the papers he had prepared. The prosecutor's heart rate was fine, he wasn't nervous at all, but Matt could tell he wasn't actually all that confident in his case. Yeah, Matt thought, he was right to be doubtful.

"Permission to approach the jury, your Honor?" Matt asked, and permission was granted. He stood up and made his way to the podium. He could've made his way to that podium without his cane even without his enhanced senses at this point really, but he used it anyways. It put people in the mindset of being sympathetic.

"Hello everyone. We are here today to determine whether or not Melvin Potter is guilty of the charges that have been brought against him. The prosecution suggests- no, seems to guarantee that the man sitting here with us today is not capable of functioning in society with the rest of us. They would rather have him locked up somewhere and to throw away the key. I'm here to tell you that not only is that claim untrue, but also that the prosecution is unable to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Melvin is guilty of the charges they have decided to bring against him."

"Melvin is a good, kind man." Matt insisted. He walked out from behind the podium and approached the jury to speak to them more directly. "When he was arrested six years ago, Melvin was scared. He regretted ever breaking the law. After making it through three years of reform in the New York prison system he made parole on good behavior and worked closely with his parole officer Betsy Beatty to make sure he never slipped into unlawful behavior again. He got a job as a tailor, even volunteered at a local soup kitchen. These are the kinds of things the prosecution won't tell you. They would rather you not think of Melvin as a person."

"They also won't tell you that the obstruction of justice Melvin was arrested for last year was helping Daredevil resist arrest from FBI SWAT teams. Shortly afterwards, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI New York Crime Division Tammy Hattley was proven to be working for Wilson Fisk. I don't think there's any need to tell you what he's guilty of." Matt smiled and paused, and got a small chuckle out of the jury. Telling a joke at the expense of the Kingpin felt really, really satisfying. Maybe even more than punching him in the face over and over again.

..Nah, probably not.

"I should mention that after receiving her life sentence, Tammy Hattley cooperated with police and helped convict Wilson Fisk. The prosecution has also neglected to share that Tammy was one of the Ryker's Island prisoners killed in that abandoned building."

"Melvin isn't guilty of breaking out of prison, nor was he complicit in any of the crimes committed by the Ryker's Island staff. He himself was escorted out of the prison against his will as part of an assassination attempt carried out on behalf of Wilson Fisk. We know his guys, Fisk's dirty lawyers, are capable of it. They got him out of the very same prison and into a penthouse last year. Melvin isn't the one responsible here. He's the victim."

"It's okay if you don't believe me. It's up to the prosecution to do the convincing. If you're buying into their story, consider this: what proof is there that Melvin was a willful party in the conspiracy to break him out of prison? The prosecution admits that the ones responsible for the prison break chased Melvin down with guns and fired on him, declaring that there was a disagreement without providing even a possible reason. There just isn't enough to go on here, and Melvin Potter is innocent until proven beyond a reasonable doubt to be guilty." Matt said with finality. He then turned on his heel and sat back down with Foggy.

"That concludes the opening statements. We will now break for lunch and reconvene in 15 minutes." The judge announced, and those gathered slowly started to get up and leave the courtroom. Only 12 minutes had passed since the start of the opening statements, but the jury only had 15 minutes to get their free lunch so you can bet they were getting up for it no matter what.

"I thought we agreed not to mention Daredevil." Foggy muttered.

"Ah, it doesn't matter. We've got this case in the bag." Matt shrugged.

"You're not wrong. It was still a bad call, bringing him up. Not everybody in New York thinks fondly of the Devil of Hell's Kitchen."

January 29th, 2018

11:03 AM

Riggle led Karen across 11th Avenue, to a park that was nearby. To the residents of Hell's Kitchen, Clinton was a green oasis in a desert of concrete. On winter days it blended in with everything else though, blanketed in white. Branches heavy with snow cast a chilly shadow over Riggle and Karen as they walked.

"You know there was a push to rename this park after the Avengers, after the incident. People tried to make it happen for years, until that Sokovia thing happened. Just like that the conversation stopped. Crazy how somebody can go from a hero to a villain overnight." Riggle observed quietly. Had Karen met Riggle just a few days earlier, his transformation would have been shocking. One day he was the indignant warden of a massive prison complex, the next he was getting philosophical, shivering in an undershirt talking to whoever would listen.

"You didn't do those things, did you?" Karen asked. "The cheating, and the pornography."

"No, I did have an affair. The porn thing is completely fake. They were both set up though. Wilson Fisk set it up so he had leverage over me."

"He set up your affair?"

"I suppose that one's still my fault in the end. But yeah, he paid Christine to seduce me. His lawyers told me as much."

"How is Fisk still in contact with his lawyers- I thought he lost the right to counsel."

"I know you know how blackmail goes Ms. Page. I'm not the one who gets to ask the questions. They just told me what to do and I did it."

"Well obviously it didn't work out. Someone pulled the trigger on Fisk's leverage over you, why?"

"They wanted a few people dead," Riggle explained, "One of them got away, is in the hands of your two very bothersome lawyer friends, and they want me to pay the price."

They came to a stop at a picnic table. One of the branches above the table had snapped, spilling down snow that had started to melt on the somewhat unseasonably warm day. The rest of the table was dry though, and Riggle took a seat. He reached into the right pocket of his jeans and, with a slow, shaking hand, pulled out a handgun.

"Are you going to shoot me?" Karen asked. She reached into her purse.

"No, Karen. I'm going to shoot myself."

"Wait, wait, hold on. They can't substantiate pornography that never existed. You won't go to jail, Bill, my lawyer friends will make sure of that. They can work for free, even."

"I don't care about prison. There's no due process for what Fisk did to me. My wife and my job are all that I had, and it doesn't matter what you or Nelson or Murdock says. I'm not getting them back." Riggle said, choking up. Karen wanted to grab that gun out of his hands, but somehow she couldn't move. The fear got to her and it was as if she was paralyzed. So she stood there and watched, and Riggle brought the gun to his head and pulled the trigger.

January 29th, 2018

11:29 AM

"The prosecution would like to call Melvin Potter to the stand." Gary announced as the court resumed session and the witness testimony began. Melvin stood up, clearly very confused.

"Objection, your Honor!" Foggy shouted, raising his hand. "The prosecution cannot force the defendant to testify. Melvin Potter, as per the Fifth Amendment, has the right to remain silent."

"The decision remains up to the defendant." The judge remarked. He seemed kind of testy about this turn of events.

"Do not go up there." Matt practically hissed at Melvin, losing his cool for just a moment before recomposing himself. "Foggy and I have got this, so you can just stay in your seat."

"I have something I wanna say though." Melvin denied his lawyers' advice with a puzzled expression and walked up to the stand.

"Do you solemnly swear that you will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"Uhh.. Yeah."

"You may give your testimony."

"Well, I started working with Mr. Fisk a while ago. He said he would hurt Betsy if I didn't do what he asked. So I made him suits. Combat gear type stuff, that could take a blade or a stray bullet. And then I met Daredevil, and he said I didn't have to work for Fisk anymore cause he would protect Betsy from him. And that didn't really work out and I'm really upset about that but I think he's trying his best to make up for it, so you guys should really listen to him when he says I didn't mean for any of that bad stuff to happen. It's all true, and this guy is making stuff up." Melvin said, gesturing to Gary.

"What do you mean, we should listen to Daredevil? Could you please elaborate on that?" Gary asked. Matt and Foggy visibly recoiled.

"Oh uh, I think maybe I shouldn't have said that." Melvin shrunk, like he was trying to hide behind the witness stand. Maybe he was shielding himself from the anger radiating off Matt Murdock.

"Are you suggesting your attorney, Mr. Murdock, is the masked vigilante known as Daredevil?"

"Objection, your Honor. The prosecution is trying to determine my client's testimony with leading questions." Matt said. The room was building up with an intense, intangible pressure. Heart rates climbed and the air itself seemed to get thicker, and hotter.

"Overruled."

"I… I'd like to sit down now." Melvin whimpered, and he was allowed to return to his seat next to a pair of absolutely fuming lawyers.

"Welp. Matthew Murdock is Daredevil, everyone!" Gary Feinstein said with a laugh. "I rest my case."