Obligatory legal disclaimer: I only own the words on the page. Wild Kratts is the property of Kratt Brothers Company, 9Story Media, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and its subsidiaries. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and its contents are property of Shu Takumi, CAPCOM, and Capcom Production Studio 4. All rights are reserved to their respective owners.
"All rise. This court is now in session, the Honourable Judge Simmons presiding."
Everyone in the gallery took to their feet as the Judge walked in. I knew him well: he has presided over most of my cases. If I hadn't known better, I may have said he looked to have aged backwards in the years since I had last taken a case. He walked in with purpose and took his seat, then everyone else took theirs. The judge situated his papers, then began his typical speech.
"Bailiff, if you may, what is today's calendar?"
"Your Honor, today's case is The People of the State of California vs. Martin Kratt."
"What are the counts?"
"One count of aggravated murder, in violation of Penal Code 187 PC, Section A, being the unlawful killing of one Zachariah Varmitsky, a human being, with malice aforethought, Your Honor."
"Thank you. Now, to the prosecution, are you prepared to begin this trial?"
Everett nodded his head. "We are prepared to begin, Your Honor."
"To the defense, are you prepared to begin this trial?"
I nodded my head. "We are prepared as well, Your Honor."
"Well then," the Judge proclaimed, "I suppose it is time to begin. Mr. Hamilton and the prosecution, you may begin your opening statement."
OPENING STATEMENT: EVERETT HAMILTON (PROSECUTION)
Everett stood and walked to the middle of the court floor. "May it please the court, Your Honor, ladies and gentlemen, my name is Everett Hamilton, and I will be representing the State of California in this case; a case of murder for the sake of a reputation; of revenge, and of a malicious need to be on top. What I shall present to you all now is by no means any form of damning evidence against Mr. Kratt, but is only a roadmap; it is like the box of a Lego set, showing what should become of each of the individual pieces which make up the finished product. These pieces will come from the witnesses who will speak their cases to the court, and from exhibits, when these should be necessary and proper for the evidence presented therein. When I conclude this opening statement, my opponent Mr. Wright will stand where I am now and present his story, his roadmap which he believes leads to the true conclusion of the case. Then the games will begin, the two maps will be compared, and hopefully, the truth will be revealed. Mr. Wright, Mrs. Cykes, Mr. Justice, I wish you luck in this trial, and may the truth prevail in this court.
To begin my case: on the 10th of July of this year, Mr. Zachariah Varmitsky walked into his private jet, a customized 26-passenger Boeing BBJ aircraft, parked on a roadway in King's Canyon National Park. This was at roughly the same time when the Tortuga, a large custom-built aircraft shaped like a turtle, had landed in an open patch of land in the same park, carrying the Duke University Fellowship of Dionysus: a group of well-trained environmental activists known for their work in researching and understanding the internal and external functions of wildlife around the world. This group and Mr. Varmitsky have had quite a well-known rivalry, with Varmitsky's natural robotics corporation was seen poorly by the conservationist fellowship; it would be on this night that Mr. Kratt, having built an animosity towards the victim from childhood, had finally decided to finish off his competition. The victim was found dead by a park ranger at roughly 6:30 AM the following morning, and he called the police.
The State will call five witnesses to the stand in this trial. Firstly, we will call Mr. Nuyiv Varmitsky, the father of the victim, to the stand to give his testimony of the troubled past of the defendant and the victim. Secondly, we will call Mr. Randall Sherman, the park ranger who saw the body and called the police. He will testify that the body was shot twice in the head, and that Mr. Kratt was in the area at the time of the sighting, and had been the entire night; he has proof of this within his nightly records and his body cam footage. Thirdly, we will call Detective Richard Gumshoe, who will testify the cause and time of death as stated in the autopsy report, as well as the presence of several bullet casings and DNA evidence that matches with Mr. Kratt. He also has photos of the crime scene which depict no signs of forced entry on the door. Fourthly, we will call very experienced FBI forensics analyst Dr. Amar Sethaan, who will give the report of the DNA test findings to the court, and testify to the evidence found at the scene. Lastly, we will call the security advisor for Varmitech Industries, Mr. Zayn Simmons, who will testify that security camera footage captures the accused in the plane on the day of the murder.
Your Honor, the defense may claim self-defense; this is simply not the case. The evidence shows no signs of struggle or that the accused tried to defend himself. There is simply no other way to consider Mr. Kratt but guilty on all counts, Your Honor."
The Judge nodded his head. "Thank you for your statement. Mr. Wright, if you wish, you may give your opening statement."
"Thank you, Your Honor."
OPENING STATEMENT: PHOENIX WRIGHT (DEFENSE)
I took my spot where Everett was standing before me. I looked to the court, the gallery, the Judge, my defendant. I was ready to go to war for Martin. I believed in him without a shadow of a doubt.
"May it please the court, Your Honor, ladies and gentlemen, my name is Phoenix Wright, and I will be representing Mr. Martin Kratt in this case. I believe this case is a one of mistaken identities, and a celebrity who can't seem to stop the gossip. My defendant has been a Fellow of Dionysus since its inception in 2011; he has been a spokesperson for the Environmental Protection Agency, and he has served his country in the United States Navy, earning the rank of Petty Officer 1st Class in near-record time for his bravery, support, and selflessness. I cannot speak for anyone in this courtroom, but that does not sound like a murderer to me. Though he cannot attend the trial, I have a writ of certiorari from his senior officer, Chief Petty Officer Kaiden Texidor, which testifies to Martin's good name and character, which will be presented before my first witness is called.
I mean not to force my case, but Mr. Kratt, along with the Fellows of Dionysus, was at the King's Canyon National Park on the night of the murder. However, he was nowhere near the scene of the crime; he was with his brother on a camping excursion, surveying the activity of bats in the area, which I have GPS and camera evidence to prove. The firearm which was suspected to have been used by my defendant to murder Mr. Varmitsky had been missing for six days prior, a case which was presented to the National Park Rangers Association and the Theft and Missing Valuables Division of the LAPD on the date; he himself and the chief investigator on his case can and will testify to this. He was away from the crime scene, without the murder weapon. Even if the motive is there, that alone cannot be the cause for conviction; there must be more to the story, and more proof than that to send a man to rot for murder.
I will send five witnesses of my own to the stand. The first will be the defendant himself, Mr. Martin Kratt, who will give his story to the court as to his whereabouts and situation at the time of the murder. My second witness will be his brother, Mr. Christopher Kratt, who will testify to have been with Martin throughout the entire course of the night, as well as to the missing status of the gun in question. Thirdly, we will send Dr. Alan Parmer, a certified psychiatrist who will show that there were no signs of insanity or mental deficiencies that could cause lapses in memory or mental faculty. Fourthly, we will send Detective Samuel Thompson, the chief investigator for the Theft and Missing Valuables division of the Los Angeles Police Department, who will testify on the case involving the missing handgun that was allegedly used in the murder of the victim. The last witness we will call is the chief investigator of the Los Angeles Police Department's CSI Division, Mrs. Aaliyah Luther, who will testify that the evidence of the crime was inconsistent with evidence commonly seen within victims and suspects of gun murders, as well as evidence that could possibly bring forth a true suspect to the crime. And if that time should come, I will be prepared to bring that suspect into this court and hear his claim.
Until that time, the evidence is clear and abundant, Your Honor. I hope in the end, as it is only fair and right, that my defendant will be found not guilty on all counts."
I walked back to my seat and took it. I was confident in my belief that my statement had just swayed the judge. And with no jury to sway, that was enough. The Judge seemed to like it, as he smiled and nodded his head. "Thank you, Mr. Wright. And may I say, it's good to see your face in a court of law again."
I gave a smile. "Thank you, Your Honor, that means a lot to me."
Athena turned to me. "You killed it, Phoenix. No pun intended."
I turned to Athena and gave a thumbs up. "I just said what needed saying."
Athena smiled. "And you did just that, Nick."
The Judge then looked to the prosecution. "Mr. Hamilton, you may now call your first witness to the stand."
This may have been my favorite chapter to write as of now. It's a long one for sure, but I hope you enjoyed it as much as me. Please review and I will see you in the next chapter!
