CHAPTER 46

"Please state your name for the record." Judge Marinovich asked. The prosecution's case had just begun and they had called the detective who caught Finn to the stand.

"Detective Alan Cooke, Badge number 170 in the Lima Police Homicide Division."

"Now, Detective Cooke, you were driving down the road when you heard a loud shout, drawing you to the scene, am I correct?" The Prosecuting attorney asked.

"Yes, that is correct." Detective Cooke replied.

"You claim to have seen a man standing over the body of Jessie St. James. Did you see his face?"

"Plain as day. He is sitting right there." Detective Cooke said, pointing at Finn.

"Let the record show that he is pointing at Finn Hudson." The prosecutor announced. Finn gritted his teeth.

"Next question… how many sets of prints were found on the murder weapon?"

"One set of prints." The detective replied.

"And who did they belong to?"

"Finn Hudson."

"Well, duh! The mugger was wearing gloves!" Finn shouted.

"Mr. Hudson! Do not directly address the jury!" Judge Marinovich scolded. Finn nodded and slumped back into his seats. Things weren't going great. The jurors had found that super compelling. He wasn't making a good first impression at all. It only got worse from there, however. After the Detective told the court about the fact that Finn's prints were on the murder weapon, he stepped off the stand and the Prosecutor called up his second testimony: Sue Sylvester.

"Please state your name for the record." the Judge asked.

"Sue Sylvester."

"Now, Ms. Sylvester, what was the relationship like between Mr. St. James and Mr. Hudson?"

"It was toxic." Sue replied immediately.

"And did you or not you not see them physically fight on the first night they met?"

"I did." Sue replied.

"And how would you describe that moment?"

"Mr. Hudson was unhinged." Sue replied. "There was a look in his eye - pure hatred. He didn't know Mr. St. James at that point but I could tell he would've beaten him to a pulp had I not intervened."

Finn clenched his jaw. This was not good, not good at all.

"Objection, your honor!" Attorney Miller exclaimed.

"On what grounds?" Judge Marinovich asked.

"On the grounds that Ms. Sylvester's knowledge of my client's mental health issues are purely opinion based and are, in fact, incorrect. Mr. Hudson's latest report from his therapist explicitly states that Finn is, in no way, a danger to himself or anyone around him. That prom night was the first night back for him in two months so obviously, he was… tense. But at this point, he is more than okay!"

"Objection sustained." the Judge nodded. Finn smiled slightly. His smile was quickly wiped off his face moments later though when the Prosecutor said this…

"Your honor, in Mr. Hudson's police statement, he claims that the reason he left the club that night in the first place was because he felt himself about to have a mental health 'episode'. How can he be mentally okay and still have episodes? There is clearly some dishonesty there!"

Finn's eyes widened. He glanced over at the jury and he could tell purely by their expressions that they all believed that he was guilty and everyone knew it was extremely difficult to sway the jury once their minds were made up.

"Ms. Sylvester, do you truly believe that Mr. Hudson committed this crime?" the Prosecutor asked. Sue took a deep breath.

"I do not believe that Mr. Hudson is a bad person. I was part of the CIA for ten years so I know a thing or two about PTSD caused by war and destruction. However, I do think that Mr. Hudson may have been overtaken by anger in the moment and might have gone too far."

"Thank you, Ms. Sylvester. That would be all." The Prosecutor said before inviting Sue off the stand.

"Prong one isn't looking so good." Finn murmured to Miller.

"That's okay. That's why we have a second prong. I have no reason to hurt Jessie in particular…"

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A while later in the afternoon, it was finally time for the defense to argue their case: Miller's time to shine. Mr. Schuester had just finished giving a reassuring, emotional testimony about how he had watched Finn for the past 4 years and knew Finn as well as he would his own child and he knew that Jessie wouldn't have done this. Mr. Schue also talked about how New Directions won Nationals anyways so despite Jessie's sinful actions just beforehand, Finn had no reason to hurt him. Things were starting to look up for Finn, but they quickly came crashing down when…

"Would the prosecution like to cross-examine the witness?" Judge Marinovich asked. The prosecutor stood up.

"Yes, I would. Mr. Schuester, am I correct in saying that Mr. Hudson and a certain Ms. Rachel Berry had a relationship in the past?"

"Yes." Mr. Schue nodded.

"When did they see each other?"

"Between December of Sophomore year and December of Junior year." Mr. Schue replied.

"One year. That's an awfully long relationship for teenagers." The prosecutor remarked. "How would you describe their relationship? Was it just a fling? Were they in love?"

"They were in love." Mr. Schue answered. "They were perfect for each other, if I'm being fully honest."

"And why and how did they break up?"

"Um… to my understanding, their relationship ended on an extremely bad note. Ms. Berry falsely accused Mr. Hudson of cheating and when Mr. Hudson denied it, Ms. Berry ended up kissing one of Mr. Hudson's best friends, the worst person to cheat on him with. Anyways, the two of them broke up."

"But a relationship like that, a year of being in love, it doesn't end that quickly, does it? And according to the written statement we have from Ms. Berry, apparently at some point in January, the two of them kissed again and were 'close to getting back together.' Mr. Schuester, didn't Mr. St. James and Ms. Berry get together as well?"

"Yes, they did." Mr. Schue murmured.

"So, if you ask me, Mr. Hudson saw Ms. Berry with another guy, and that spawned feelings of jealousy. That's all I have to say." The prosecutor announced. Slowly but surely, the man was chipping away at Finn's defense, and at this point, Finn could practically see the cinder block wall he would be staring at for the rest of his life. But things would somehow get EVEN worse! To be fair, Miller didn't have much to work with. Finn had no alibi, a motive, and his prints were the only ones on the murder weapon. How were they supposed to contest that? They still did have one more prong on their meat fork after Lieutenant Brandt's testimony had basically fallen through before he could even give it: Finn's own testimony…

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"Please state your name for the record." Judge Marinovich said.

"Finn Christopher Hudson." Finn replied.

"Mr. Hudson, am I right in saying that you served in the United States Army for 5 months this year?" Miller asked. Finn nodded.

"That's correct."

"And have you ever killed someone?"

Finn took a deep breath and nodded.

"Yes, I have." Finn replied.

"Could you describe that feeling for the jury, please?"

This was it. Their last hope for pulling Finn out of the depths - an emotional, convincing, vivid description on what it was like to end a life.

"When you kill someone, it's not just a matter of pulling the trigger." Finn started to explain. "You're not only ridding the world of a murderer or drug-trafficker like I was, you're also ridding the world of a potentially loving husband, wife, parent, child, uncle, aunt. Families blown to shreds by an action that takes less than a second to do. And this is all in the seconds before you even pull the trigger."

Finn took a deep breath and closed his eyes, pulling at the more emotional sides of the jury. He continued…

"You fire your bullet and you hear a 'BANG!', but that sound is nothing compared to the screams you hear of the enemy. Those screams… they're burnt into your mind. As you watch the person you shot lie on the ground, there's a split second of shock. A 'What have I done?' moment. But then comes the guilt. Oh my God… the guilt! It's the worst feeling in the world. Picture every painful thing that's happened to you, both physical and emotional. All of those combined don't even hold a flame to the guilt you feel after killing someone. I can still feel the tight ball of guilt and despair sitting in my stomach from every person I've killed in the past year."

A tear rolled down Finn's cheek. He actually wasn't embellishing anything: everything he was saying was absolutely, unequivocally true.

"Then, at the end of the night, and during every night after the incident, you close your eyes to sleep but the man's face is right there, branded into your mind like a tattoo. It is near-impossible to sleep but when you do, one of two nightmares occur. The first nightmare that often occurs is that you're back in the situation, firing that bullet over and over again. Despite your brain trying to drag you out of there, your body doesn't move. You just keep pulling the trigger, watching the man fall over and die. And the second nightmare is you think about the person's family. You think about what that man's funeral would be like: his wife, his mom, his dad, his children, all weeping at the loss of their loved one, and begging to have even just one minute more with the deceased man. My dad died when I was very young, and I know that I would cut off a limb to be able to spend just one more minute with my dad. The people you kill, no matter how bad they are, have family who feel the same way. When you kill someone, it's like a piece of your soul is torn off. Since I got back from Bangladesh, I'm just trying to hold onto what's left of mine. And you say I killed Jessie St. James? Why on Earth would I ever put myself through all of this pain again, for someone that I have nothing against."

Finn had done it. He had somehow managed to make the jury doubt themselves, even if just for a moment. They had to think: was Finn really the killer? Could he be innocent? Unfortunately, those doubts were removed moments later when…

"Would the prosecution like to cross-examine the witness?" Judge Marinovich asked.

Yes, we would." The prosecutor said. "I have a few questions for Mr. Hudson. First of all, upon looking through the Army's records, I found out that the mission you went on in March was not an official mission, but a personal vendetta against a cartel in Bangladesh. Mr. Hudson, am I right in saying that you went on this mission because the cartel tried to hurt your girlfriend?"

"Yes, that's right." Finn murmured. Uh oh! This was not good!

"So, as proven by Mr. William Schuester's testimony, Mr. St. James' betrayal of your show choir caused a lot of pain to another of your girlfriends: Ms. Rachel Berry. There's clearly a pattern here: whenever someone hurts Mr. Hudson's girlfriends, he goes after them. No further questions, your Honor…"

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The rest of the trial was an absolute train wreck. The whole jury clearly thought that Finn was guilty, and there was absolutely nothing anyone could say that could convince them otherwise. There was only one thing left for Finn to do…

Carole, Burt, Kurt and Miller had gone out for dinner that night. They were planning to meet with Finn at the law firm at 9 pm to discuss any last minute updates to the case and it was 8 at this point. Finn relentlessly threw a small ball against the wall. In less than 48 hours, he would be locked in a prison for the rest of his life, never to see the outside world again. Half an hour later, he had a plan. Just as he was about to leave the house, he heard a knock on the door. He opened it to see Mr. Schue standing there.

"Finn, I've been calling you." He said. "Why weren't you answering your phone?"

"Don't have it. I charged it and stuck it on a truck headed west." Finn replied. Mr. Schue then noticed the suitcase next to Finn.

"What's with the suitcase?"

"Going to Malaysia."

"You're going to Malaysia?"

"No, the suitcase is going to Malaysia. I'm getting on a bus to Florida."

"What's in Florida?"

"Airport. I'm flying to Argentina."

"This is very complicated." Mr. Schue stated.

"Thank you." Finn responded. "I know someone with a ranch in the Andes where he went to retire from the Army. He's there no, getting rid of the scorpions. Or adding more scorpions. I don't know. The reception was real bad."

"Finn, I know you're scared." Mr. Schue said gently. "But even if you are given a guilty verdict, whether it be in a week, a month, a year, maybe even in 5 years, we will eventually prove your innocence."

"With all due respect, Mr. Schue, both you and I know that if I am sent to jail now, I am never getting out. You always tell me in Glee to take action. So I am now. In Argentina. Surrounded by scorpions. Or not surrounded by scorpions. I'll find out when I get there."

"Look, I know you're innocent but fleeing the country is a crime!" Mr. Schue exclaimed.

"So arrest me." Finn spat. Mr. Schue sighed.

"Fine. I know I'm not going to be able to stop you. I just want to say goodbye."

"Okay. Goodbye."

"I hope you know your family is going to miss you."

"I don't care. They have Kurt. They'll get over it."

"I was talking about the Glee Club." Mr. Schue murmured. "Be safe, Finn." He said before walking out of the room. Finn clenched his jaw and threw the suitcase back on his bed. He knew he wasn't going anywhere.

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Finn walked into the law firm at 9:30 that night and to his surprise, it was nearly completely empty. He was half an hour late and everyone had gone home for the night but Finn saw the lights on in Miller's office. He walked that way but stopped as he heard familiar voices coming from inside…

"Where is he?" Kurt murmured, referring to Finn of course.

"Do you think he skipped town?" Burt asked. "I mean, he was adamant about not joining us for dinner."

"Skipped town? But that would mean he…" Kurt's voice trailed off.

"He would have done it." Carole finished her step-son's sentence. "Look, I've known Finn his whole life, and I know very well that he does have anger issues. I mean, you remember what happened with Puck over Quinn's baby! He literally broke Puck's nose! I think Sue put it in a good way this morning: I don't think Finn is a bad person but I think he might have let his temper get the better of him."

"So you think he did it?" Kurt asked.

"Don't you?" Burt remarked. He was also starting to entertain the prospect that maybe, Finn could actually be guilty.

"I don't know. I mean, I was there at the prom that night. I saw the look in his eye. He would have done some serious damage, if not more, if the two of them were alone, in a dark, abandoned alley per say."

"So are we all in agreement?" Burt asked. "I think we need to entertain the prospect that maybe, Finn did it."

Finn had heard enough from outside the room. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Anger and devastation welled up inside him as he walked slowly into the room.

"Is that really what you think?" Finn growled as he walked into the room. Kurt, Burt and Carole spun around and their hearts dropped when they saw him.

"Finn, sweetie, um… how much of that did you hear?" Carole stammered.

"I heard enough." Finn spat. "Do you guys seriously think I did it?"

"Finn, we don't think you're a bad person." Kurt said, again. "We just think that you might have let emotions get the better of you."

"Yeah, Finn, we love you. We're your family." Burt said.

"NO!" Finn bellowed. "You're not my family! A family has faith in one another. Unconditional love is part of it. Unconditional faith is another. You guys believe that I would kill someone for such a petty reason? That, what? He switched show choirs right before Nationals? That he dumped my ex, a girl who cheated on me and made my life miserable? I can't believe this. You know, all this time, I was thinking that even if I went to jail, eventually faith would find a way to come through. Thank you for proving to me just how wrong I was. You know what? WE'RE NOT FAMILY ANYMORE, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!"

"Finn, you don't mean that!" Carole exclaimed, tears streaming down her cheeks. Finn clenched his jaw.

"I mean that more than I've ever meant anything in the world. Kurt, text the Glee club. Tell them that none of them are coming to my sentencing tomorrow. Same goes for you guys. If I see any of your faces there tomorrow, I swear to God I will have you guys ejected."

"Son, please!" Carole begged.

"Goodbye, Carole." Finn spat and he walked out of the room. She was no longer his mom. Kurt was no longer his brother. Burt was no longer his step-dad. They were strangers to him now.

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The next morning, Finn and Sam were back at the courthouse, alone. Thankfully, the Glee Club and his family had gotten the message not to come so it was just the two of them on his side. Finn didn't need to hear the jury announce it to know what he was about to receive…

Judge Marinovich stood up to read out the verdict that the jury had handed him.

"In the case of St. James vs. Hudson, the jury finds the defendant, Mr. Finn Hudson… guilty of the murder of Jessie St. James. He will serve out a life sentence in the US Penitentiary in Pennsylvania without the possibility of parole…"