No cameras had been allowed into the courtroom, something that Judy had known before the trial had started. It had been a decision by the Chief Justice, to prevent what she described as the media circus outside from coming into the courtroom. Fairness in the ruling demanded that the people of Zootopia not be involved in the case directly since public opinion had long ago turned in favor of the innocence of Mr. Otterton. As a lawyer she had faced public scrutiny before, though, in her defense of Gideon Grey, the opinion of those in the Commomwealth and Bunnyburrow had been far less kindly towards the predator. This also Judy understood, making it easier when she rose from her seat next to the otter and made her way towards the front of the courtroom. Made it easier, but no less vital. No matter the opinion of the population, what was important to her was getting to the truth and from what she had gathered, she had enough of the truth to do what needed to be done here, today.

The rest of the truth? Well, that could come later.

"Your Honor," she began after drawing in a slow, deep breath while facing the bench, then turned to face the courtroom, "mammals of Zootopia. I know that the case of the murder of Mrs. Otterton galvanized the city, not only because of the unexpected nature of the victim – a well-liked member of her community, free with her kindness and good nature with anyone who came into contact with her – but also because of the mammal accused of killing her. According to everyone who knew them personally, Emmitt Otterton was nothing if not a devoted, loving husband. I won't go into details about that, because you will be hearing testimony and reports from their friends and family later today, but suffice it to say that his accusation, arrest, and shotgun trial sent shockwaves through all of Zootopia. The shock of it stretched so far that it reached The Common Wealth, and even there – outside of the reach of Zootopian law – there were protests and petitions flying around about the injustice of what happened that day. The end of two innocent lives: one in cold blood, with violence, and one through a brutal manipulation of the system to imprison one otter.

"The reasons behind this? I will not go into detail about today. Not because I think it is unimportant, but because it is not the reason we are here. Why I am here, at this moment, is to give to this court the reasonable doubt that was so obviously ignored in the rush to sweep the murder and Mr. Otterton himself under the rug and out of the public eye."

She paused for a moment, just long enough to take a breath before sweeping one arm towards the otter who watched her with a calm expression and tired eyes.

"What I am going to prove to you is three things. First: I will bring to light the character of the male that was so easily tried and convicted of murder. I will show this court why many, including myself, believe that he is incapable of such a crime against someone he loved very much. Second: that Emmitt Otterton was physically incapable of the murder, both in the precise way it was carried out and because of his location at the time of the murder. And last, perhaps most important: I will show how the investigation into the murder was carried out with something other than the truth in mind, leading to a court case that could only be called an attack on justice.

"With these three things alone," she continued while holding up three fingers as she paced over the floor in front of the prosecution's table, feeling the nausea and worry of being in front of so many mammals vanish as she felt herself falling into the role she had found she was best at, "I could easily bring reasonable doubt into the case. I believe this would be more than enough to prove that something in the justice system of Zootopia went wrong and set an innocent otter free. But like many, I will not be content to just take a token victory. So, I have evidence proving that the statements of one of the arresting officers was a lie."

These words caused a startled murmur to pass through those seated behind Otterton, who himself sat up a little straighter in his seat as he met her gaze with a soft nod. Her gaze then passed behind him, to Neveen, who had a small smile playing over her lips though she didn't seem nearly as surprised as those around her. The murmuring lasted long enough that Chief Justice Bellwether banged her gavel twice sharply.

"Order," she demanded, then banged again and repeated her call for order before the murmuring finally died down. Once quiet had returned, she fixed her gaze on Judy with a sharp sort of warning. "I do not allow hearsay in my courtroom, Miss Hopps. I expect this evidence to be compelling at the very least."

"I would not have brought it to the attention of the court otherwise, Your Honor," Judy replied, giving a slight incline of her head while keeping her ears high. This certainty seemed to both intrigue and mollify the sheep, who gave a short nod in reply before waving for her to continue even as Judy made her way back towards her seat at the defense table. "By the end of the day, my hope is to see this otter walk out of this courtroom, knowing that he is the free mammal he always should have been. Also, I hope to see the case of the murder of Mrs. Otterton reopened and investigated with open eyes and with the intent of finding real justice. While we cannot undo the damage that has been done, we can at least see that it stops here and make mammals everywhere see that justice still has meaning. Thank you, Your Honor."

"Good," the Chief Justice replied, turning her gaze from Judy to the fox who sat behind the prosecution's desk. To Judy, it seemed for a moment that her eyes focused on the fact that there was not a single mammal sitting on that side of the isle, before she spoke. "Prosecution, would you like to make an opening statement?"

"Uh," the fox said, hastily getting to his feet with his paws resting flat against the table. He glanced towards Judy with no real animosity in his eyes, before that gaze flicked behind the bunny for a moment. While she didn't dare turn herself to confirm that he had looked at The Administrator with that glance, she was almost certain that he had - even as he just as quickly returned his attention to the front of the courtroom. "No, your honor. I have nothing to add."

"Very well," Bellwether said, pushing her glasses up with one finger as the fox returned to his seat without further comment. It seemed to Judy that Bellwether was either not surprised by his lack of a statement or was hiding it very well. And while this, the lack of an opening statement, and the glance towards Neveen had all been unusual occurrences, she didn't have time to dwell on that fact when Bellwether spoke again.

"Miss Hopps, you may call your first witness."


They sent a single wolf first.

It wasn't unexpected. While they had no doubt been honest about having watched him, studied how he fought, they had never directly faced him before. With the space restricted by the walls of the alley, and their understanding that anyone who tried to get past him would leave themselves vulnerable, he had known that they would not be charging him all at once either way. To do so would have allowed him, as the smaller mammal, to sow chaos by directing their limited attack ranges towards each other in the shuffle of limbs. Whether they would have followed this tactic without the guidance of the Alpha in their ranks? He had no way of knowing. So, instead he took the advantage he was given, keeping his baton lowered at his side as green eyes focused on the grey wolf moving towards him. The others remained where they were, but two of them were tense and obviously ready to strike if the upper hand was gained. Likely, they hoped to prevent a death blow from being delivered. It was worth considering.

"Never really thought I would have the chance to fight you," the wolf said as the distance between them closed, his sword drawn, hilt held close to his chest by both paws with the tip of the straight blade pointed towards the fox. His stance moved towards one wall of the alley, which Nick saw immediately as an attempt to start the typical circling method of sizing up each other. It was a move that the fox refused, keeping his own stance forward facing and relaxed as he moved in a way that mirrored the wolf's.

"You're going to be disappointed in the end," he replied simply, judging from the light steps but firmly planted feet and spaced legs that the other predator wasn't a weekend warrior with his weapon.

"I somehow doubt it," was the reply, his lips curled in a silent snarl. Nick couldn't decide if the snarl was because the attempt to get him to expose his back had failed, or simply an intimidation tactic to make him think a strike was coming. "We were all surprised when you exposed yourself to protect a bunny."

"Which is one reason you're going to be disappointed," Nick replied calmly, drawing in a slow breath as he kept his eyes focused on those of his opponent. "I am not who you all seem to think I am. But because it seems to be a common mistake, I'll let it slide this time."

The other male's expression never changed, never wavered. He didn't even blink as he started to move towards the fox again. But his ear did flick, stayed back for a moment too long, telling Nick that the words were being considered. And that he used as an opening to strike. Dropping his stance, he took two steps towards the wolf before he launched himself forward, his baton drawn up to cross his chest as he saw the larger mammal's arms tense and the sword flinch upward a fraction of an inch in response. Using the tiny opening, he dropped to one knee and twisted his body into a sweeping strike that would have his foot and then baton both striking low on the wolf. That was his plan, at any rate. However, his foot made no contact with the intended target when the wolf shifted his foot back half a pace and when he struck out with the baton, it struck the blade of the sword with a resounding echo of metal on metal.

When he found himself facing the gray-furred predator, the speed of the other male caught him completely off guard. The sword easily batting aside the baton and the arm holding it swung upward in a quick strike that would not have been fatal if it had connected but would have been more than enough to wound had he not yanked his head back just in time. He felt the lethal whisper of air against the tip of his nose as it passed, but had no time to dwell on it when the fluid strike came around in a half moon motion that had the blade slicing much closer to his chest that he would have liked. Much, much closer, he realized when he felt half of his tie flutter down his thigh and hit the ground even as he backstepped further away from his opponent. He wasn't unaware of the appreciative murmurs from the rest of the pack as he put some space between them when he was not pursued. Eyes narrowed when he came to a stop, assessing that he had not been cut by the blade even if the front of his shirt at chest level had been cut through like paper. A moment's pause made him roll his neck over his shoulders when he realized that he had miscalculated their intention, as they had known he would.

They had not sent him one of their ranks as a sacrifice to see how he performed: they had sent him a master of individual combat.

So, playing it as if he was slower than he really was from the start was not going to be as effective as he had hoped it would be. Growling slightly, he kept his eyes firm on the wolf as he rolled his shoulders, shrugging out of the jacket and letting it drop to the ground behind him. Then he gripped the front of his shirt with both paws and tore it open, putting a scowl on his muzzle as he took a moment to unbutton the cuffs without dropping his baton. Once the shirt too was discarded, he moved towards the wolf again with the scowl still in place.

This time when the two met, Nick had no intention of feinting in an attempt for a quick end to the fight. The quick double-handed forward jab from the wolf was met with the baton, deflecting the attack as he double stepped closer in an attempt to close the distance. He was forced to fall back again when the wolf, rather than being unbalanced by the deflection, swept the sword around with a graceful underhand sweep that forced him to drop his baton lower to defend and take one step back to lower the power of the blow as he felt it vibrate through his paw when the two weapons connected. The wolf was using his size and the greater length of the sword to his full advantage; using long, penetrating strikes to drive him back every time he managed to even begin to close the distance. Combined with higher strength to go with the size and training, Nick was hard pressed to find an opening that he could use. At the same time, he realized that he was facing mostly deflection and counterstrikes as the larger male made use of the length advantage to keep the distance between them. This proved that they had been watching him, because larger predators were always easier to take down once he was able to close the distance. He attempted to defeat this distance, placing both paws on either end of the baton as he drove himself forward, hoping to slip past the blade of the sword and into striking range. The effort was wasted, and painful. The assassin, seeing the intention of the attack, backstepped quickly and slid his sword harmlessly to the side in a way that took all of Nick's force with it and carried his arm into an over reach that allowed the larger male to slide the blade neatly over his shoulder just as he managed to regain control of himself. Even as he did, the bright flare of pain when the butt of the sword was driven into his muzzle had him stumbling back more steps than would have been necessary to put some distance between them again.

The secondary pain from his arm was slow coming, as was the blood over the dull throbbing in his face. Both came at the same moment as his body seemed to understand that he had been cut, the aching burn combined with the feeling of a lazy but noticeable trickle of blood down his arm. With a throaty snarl of frustration, fury blazing in his eyes, the fox dropped to all fours and charged the wolf at full speed and with the intent of finally closing the distance even if that meant taking anther blow in the process. The wolf dropped into a ready stance, lower to the ground to compensate for the lower stance of his opponent. As he reached striking distance, Nick saw the tip of the blade tip a fraction, the balance of the weapon readied for a low sweeping strike. That balance was why he was able to press off the ground with one leg, launching himself just high enough to get over the tip and slap his baton onto the blade. Then with the leg that was already raised, since he had not used it in the leap, he drove his foot down onto the baton and the blade at the same moment with enough momentum to strip the handle from the wolf's paw.

He saw the moment when the wolf realized he was done, his ears dropping and his eyes just starting to widen even as that same step was used to push the fox from the ground again and up enough to bring a flying reverse crescent kick slamming into the side of the larger male's neck. The strike landed exactly where he needed it to and, even as he found his feet again, he saw the bulk of the wolf start to crumble to the ground as the strength left his body. Whether it was to be sure that the predator stayed down or to let the rest of the pack see clearly what had just happened, Nick lashed out with one paw before the male had fallen halfway, the flat of his palm thudding against the side of the wolf's head. The effect was the same, whatever the case, as the limp muzzle snapped to the side before continuing to the floor of the alley where he lay, unconscious.

Panting slightly, he drew himself away from his fallen opponent and stepped back towards his baton and the sword as he settled his eyes on the remaining wolves. The alpha, watching with a keen eye and seeming indifference on his muzzle, met his gaze for a long moment. They did not interfere as he calmly lowered himself to one knee to pick up the baton, though there was a moment of tension in the white wolf when he picked up the sword as well before drawing himself to his feet. A slight pause as he checked the balance, the weight, and the size of the weapon overall before he released a slow sigh. Too heavy. With a sigh, he tossed the weapon at the feet of it's owner without comment before he stepped back a few steps with that paw raised to wave the wolves to continue.

With a slight nod to the white wolf and another grey, the alpha obliged him as the two drew their swords and charged forward for a far more aggressive assault.


"You never know if a case is won, until the judgement has been passed and the gavel falls. So no matter how well you think things are going, always push forward. Always give that one piece of evidence; call the unneeded witness; present one more fact. Do this until you see in the eyes of everyone in the courtroom that you've won."

"And then push a little more."

The elderly elk stag that sat in the witness box now had given his testimony, for all intents. The forensic evidence was dry, as she had known it would be, but it was important for the appeal. The forensic results themselves were important, but only so much as it led to a certain conclusion when looked at beyond what it corroborated from the police report.

"In the autopsy report, it states that the cause of death was a single stab would that pierced the heart. How often are you asked for your personal opinion, Doctor Pricket?" she asked, standing in the middle of the court with a manila folder open in her paws. "Excuse me, let me rephrase that. How often as you asked to remember your past experiences as a witness?"

"Quite often," was the curt reply, a tone that he had kept through the entire questioning. Not out of rudeness, she knew. He had been a very cooperative witness, he was simply a mammal used to giving nothing but the facts when on the stand.

"Then let me ask you just a few more questions, if I could," she said, stepping up the set of stairs that allowed her access to the witness on the stand. Once in front of the larger mammal, she opened the file that showed his own report beside an image of the stab wound in the otter's chest. "Does this look like a wound made out of anger?"

"I'm not a criminal phycologist, so I wouldn't be able to make that determination," he replied, obviously dodging the question.

"I'm not asking for a phycological evaluation of the attacker, Doctor," she said, putting on a smile for a moment before she tapped the photo. "We've both seen crimes of passion and rage. Is that what you see here?"

There was a pause, during which the doctor lowered his eyes to the photo again with all of the dispassion one would have expected from someone who had seem more death than most mammals could understand or ever want to see in a lifetime. His brows furrowed for a moment, before he shook his head in the negative.

"No, that's not what I see here."

"Can you explain why?" she asked, feeling that tiny thrill she always got when a witness followed her line of questioning.

"There is no additional damage beyond the stab wound itself," he replied, and when she keep her eyes on him as if waiting for more, he took the hint and continued. "Usually in a crime that comes from anger, it's a surprise. The victim will often fall into the attacker, or struggle with them. This causes additional lacerations, as the knife moves within the wound. Most wouldn't notice this because on the outside - the damage is minor - but, on the inside, it is often more significant."

"So, in your expert opinion, there was no noticeable additional physical trauma that one would normally see in a case of rage or passion?"

"That is correct," he confirmed, giving another of his short nods to affirm the statement.

"So, how would you hypothesize a wound like this was created?" she asked, keeping the folder open for him to take another look if it was needed. It was not needed, as he didn't bother to give the evidence another look before he replied.

"This kind of wound would seem to suggest that the murderer stabbed the victim once, and immediately withdrew the knife."

"I've seen the public transcripts of the previous trial," she said as she closed the folder and made her way down the stairs again, towards the table where Otterton sat watching. She could see, for the first time since it had all started, that he was really paying attention now. She understood. He wasn't just going to be satisfied if he was cleared of the crime. He was going to want to know who had really done it, and why. She set the folder on the desk as she turned back to the witness box. "This never came to light. Can you explain why?"

"I was never asked," he said simply, which sparked as series of short lived murmurs from the court, murmurs that quickly died down when the Chief Justice banged her gavel in a call for silence.

"I just have two more questions for you, if you don't mind," she continued, doing her best to look apologetic. It never hurt to be on the good side of the witness, after all. "First: in an attack like that, where the knife is plunged into the heart between two ribs without any extra external or internal damage, only to be withdrawn quickly, would you say that the intention was purely to kill?"

"In the scenario you describe, the quickest way to kill the victim would have been to withdraw the knife, yes," was his reply, and she was pleased when he continued of his own accord. "Not all wounds to the heart are fatal, most often in cases where the object that has penetrated the heart is not removed. This restricts to flow of blood and slows the rate at which the victim would bleed. By removing the blade after the heart was damage, the flow of blood was not restricted, and the victim had maybe a few seconds before loss of consciousness and less than a minute before death."

His giving data of that sort without prompted told her that he was either feeling that he was actually getting to do his job in this case, or he was feeling that the case itself had more merit this time. She had to restrain her desire to press him further, because his testimony to this point had been on point.

"I see. And my second question," she began, waving one paw towards Mr. Otterton as she stepped aside to let the witness see the accused. "In your expert opinion, would someone with no history of violence of any kind be able to inflict the wound described so cleanly?"

"In my line of work, you learn that anything is possible," was his reply, though before she could press the question further, he continued on his own. "However, given all of the factors, it is extremely unlikely."

And that would have to be good enough, though given the softer buzz from the gallery it may well have had the effect she was looking for.

"Thank you, Doctor Pricket. You've managed to clear up quite a bit," she said, giving him a courteous nod before she turned her eyes up to Bellwether. "I have nothing further for this witness, your honor."

"Very well," the sheep in black robes replied, looking down at the fox behind the prosecution desk. "Your witness."

"No questions for this witness, Your Honor," the fox said, half rising from his chair with a brief, nervous nod of his head before he dropped down into the seat again.

This caused Judy to frown slightly as she looked over at her counterpart even as the Chief Justice rose one eyebrow over the rim of her glasses. The lack of an opening statement had been surprising in itself, but no cross examination of such an important witness was extremely odd in a case like this. Bellwether clearly thought the same as she folded her hooves in front of her and leaned forward slightly while looking down at the fox.

"Do you intend to sit there and watch as you lose this case, Mr. Corsac?"

"Oh! No, of course not, your honor," he said, fully rising from his seat this time with his ears pinned back against his skull. Judy quickly got the impression that he was fresh out of law school, given how quick he was to snap to attention and his obvious lack of experience. Either that, or he was waiting for the right moment to strike. "I just have no questions for this witness."

"I understand," she said, clearly not convinced. And she then showed how unconvinced she was when she continued, "But I need you to understand, Mr. Corsac, that you are expected to do your job in this courtroom. Everything in a courtroom has a place, and your place now is to act as State Prosecutor. If you cannot do that, you will either step down or I will see to it that the Review Board carefully examines your future in law. Are we clear?"

"Of course, your honor," he said, looking a little white around the nose and the insides of his ears as he was dismissed. Judy tried her best not to feel pity for the male as he dropped down into his seat again with slumped shoulders, looking as if he simply wanted to vanish in that moment. She knew that feeling, herself, after being rebuked by a judge or two.

Much less the Chief Justice of Zootopia.

"Thank you, Doctor Pricket, you may step down," the sheep said, giving the male a nod as he excused himself from the witness stand with the same self-assured regality with which he had taken it. "Defense, you may call your next witness."

"I would like to call a character witness, Your Honor," Judy replied, receiving a curt nod in acceptance of that as she walked over to the witness stand. "In accordance with the Advanced Technology Act, Article Thirty, paragraph sixteen, this witness has agreed to appear via holographic imaging since he was unable to appear in court in person."

"Accepted," Bellwether replied, looking down at the terminal interface installed in her bench for a moment, sliding her hoof over the screen until the name of the witness came into view. From where she stood Judy could have sworn, for just a moment, that the stern face of the Chief Justice softened just a bit before the court's holographic system hummed to life.

"I call Mayor Leodore Lionheart to the stand," Judy said, as the faintly glowing image of the large lion in the witness box, wearing his ever present nearly pressed suit and a smile that never seemed to fade when he was in the public eye.

"Am I on?" he asked immediately, turning his eyes around the courtroom for a moment before they settled on the Chief Justice. His often perceived as fake smile softened, at least in Judy's eyes, for a moment before he turned to look forward until his gaze rested on Judy. "Ah, Miss Hopps! It's a pleasure to see you again."

"Mayor Lionheart," Bellwether interrupted, her tone as terse and controlled as it had been since the trial had started, "I appreciate you taking the time to appear in court, but I will remind you that you are now in court and must behave accordingly."

"Of course," he said instantly, not losing the amiable tone to his voice though he the twitch of his holographic ears showed that he was properly chastened. It was enough to make Judy produce an actual smile as she moved towards the witness stand as the bailiff swore the lion in.

"Do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth or face charges of perjury under the laws of Zootopia?"

"I do, of course," Lionheart replied, sitting down once he was sworn in. Of course, he was really sitting in a chair in his own office in City Hall, but how closely it leveled out with the chair in the witness box was almost hauntingly accurate.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, too, Mr. Mayor," Judy began, gaining a broad muzzled grin from the lion in reply to the simple pleasantry. "You know the accused, Emmett Otterton?"

"I met with him on one occasion, yes, though I knew who he was before that meeting took place."

"And what was the subject of that meeting?"

"He wanted to discuss ways to improve species relations within Zootopia," he replied, in what was perhaps the most professional tone she had ever heard from the boisterous, energetic, photo-op addicted male. "Specifically, relations between predator and prey."

"Having spoken with Mr. Otterton himself, it was a little more focused than that," Judy stated, walking back to the defense table and picking up a piece of paper. "His statement was that the primary subject of the conversation was the reunification of bunnies into Zootopia. Is that correct?"

"Ah," the lion began, pausing for a moment as his brow wrinkled in thought. "Yes, yes I believe that's right. He believed that relations between all Predators and Prey in Zootopia were strained because of the Bunny Ban Act, with the broad idea that some prey species with high populations might begin to wonder if they were next."

"And what were your impressions of Mr. Otterton during this meeting?"

"He was very passionate about the idea," he replied, eyes of reflected light shifting to the chained otter at the defense table for a moment before return to the bunny. "He had ideas. A lot of ideas, about how it could be introduced to the Council. Everything from a grand, instant reunification to a gradual work program that would allow those from the Commonwealth to enter the city over time and become citizens again."

"Did he ever mention violence as an option?" she asked bluntly, watching as the lion's ears twitched in surprise.

"No, of course not," he replied, keeping the answer short since he had clearly not been expecting the question.

"At any time during the meeting," she said as she walked the space between the defense table and the witness box, "was there even a small moment where you believed that Mr. Otterton was capable of using violence to get what he wanted?"

"Violence of any kind never came into the conversation at all."

"Did the subject of Mrs. Otterton come up?"

"Well, yes," he replied, folding his paws together in front of his chest as he seemed to lean back in the witness box to get more comfortable. No one seemed to notice that the back of the witness box passed through his chest as he did this. "General conversation, you know. Pleasantries: I hear you're married, how is your wife, and things of that nature."

"If you could tell us what your impression was?"

"He smiled when he answered the question. His whiskers twitched too, embarrassed I think." The lion paused for a moment, seeming to consider before he elaborated. "I think I intimidated him at first, and the questions caught him by surprise."

"Did anything in his reply hint at anger or distrust towards his wife?"

"Not that I noticed, no."

"Do you think Emmett Otterton killed his wife?" she asked, causing the lion's ears to drop back. No one was more surprised that her when she heard the voice coming from behind her.

"Uh… Objection, your honor," said the fox as he rose from his seat and held up one paw. He looked almost frightened to have objected, like a school kid raising their hand to ask a hard question in class. "Mayor Lionheart did not take part in the trial that convicted the defendant, nor is he an expert in criminal law. So his answer would be irrelevant."

"Objection sustained," Bellwether replied instantly, turning her eyes to Lionheart. "You will disregard that question, Your Honor."

She had not really expected the objection, though it did show that the prosecution was at least paying attention to the trial. But it did not deter her from the line of questioning, only changed the way she approached it.

"You said you knew of Mr. Otterton before the meeting took place, is that correct?" she began again.

"Yes," he replied, his ears up again and his posture straighter now. "A lot of the mammals in Zootopia knew who Mr. Otterton was before the unpleasantness. It was one of the reasons I agreed to meet with him personally."

"What did you know of him?"

"Well," he began, taking a breath as he thought about his reply, "as the subject of the meeting would suggest, he was a well-known advocate for peaceful relations between species. He worked for various non-profit charities, volunteered his time to help the needy, spoke about the idea of peaceful protest. He grew so prolific over the years that he gained backing from various groups whose goals conceded with his own."

"Would you say that everyone liked him?" she asked, stopping close to the witness box and looking up at the holographic Mayor.

"I would like to believe that most liked him," he replied, though that obviously wasn't the end of his answer as he shifted in his seat slightly. "But no one is loved by everyone."

"There were, in fact," Judy said, walking back to her side of the court and producing a folder which she held up towards the lion, "multiple groups that didn't like Mr. Otterton at all. Open opposition, entire groups of mammals that spoke out against his pacifist methods, even death threats in response to his ideas about reunification. Someone even tried to fake a love child with a previously unknown female, who mysteriously disappeared shortly after the rumors were proven untrue. Did you know about those?"

"I was aware, yes."

"And through all of that, did he ever change his ideals? Did he ever," she said, waving the folder in front of her in a slow circle to emphasis her next words, "lash out? Try to incite violence against these groups? Approve of those who did?"

"I've never heard of him doing anything of the sort, no."

"So knowing all of this, that he remained a mammal of peace even under threats and defamation," she said, placing the folder on the desk again before she turned to the witness and rephrased her previous question, "do you believe that Emmett Otterton was capable of murder?"

This time, there was no objection to the question. Sometimes, it was all about how things were presented. She had jumped the gun with the blunt question before but had used that mistake to set the stage for a return to what would be the most important answer Mayor Lionheart would give in this trial.

"No, I don't," was the answer he gave, his face stern and his voice certain as he gave it.

"Thank you for your time, Mayor Lionheart," she said, feeling a little giddy for a moment as she gave him a small smile as she returned to her seat beside the otter. "I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions today. I have no further questions, your honor."

The Chief Justice gave a small nod of her head as she turned her eyes towards the fox, one brow quirking above her glasses again as she leveled a gaze at him.

"Prosecution, your witness."