I don't own Law & Order.
"Ms. Carmichael, you may step down," the judge said, and Abbie returned to her seat at the defense table.
"Does the defense have any more witnesses?"
"No, Your Honor, the defense rests."
"Any rebuttal witnesses, Mr. Cutter?"
"No, Your Honor."
"In that case, are you ready to give your closing argument, Mr. McCoy?"
"Yes, Your Honor." Jack moved to the front of the jury box.
Abbie had seen him make many closing statements, but never before had her future rested on his oratory. She barely breathed as he began.
"Abbie Carmichael is not a murderer. She never planned to kill the so-called "victim." When she went into her home that evening and was confronted by a serial killer holding a knife, she did what she had to, what any reasonable person would do- she fought for her life. And in doing so, she killed him. Not because she hated him, not because she wanted him dead, but because it was him or her.
"The prosecution doesn't have a shred of evidence to show otherwise. None of their witnesses saw what happened. Mr. Webb wasn't there. Detective Green wasn't there. I wasn't there. None of you were there. The only person in this courtroom who knows what happened is Abbie Carmichael. And she told you what happened; she told you how she was attacked and fought for her life and killed her attacker. You have no reason not to believe her.
"Matt Bergstrom's death, like any death, is a tragedy. As Mr. Cutter told you, this is what happened because of Abbie Carmichael's actions." Abbie mentally winced as Jack held up a photo of Matt Bergstrom's body in a puddle of blood on her carpet. "But this is what would have happened if she had not acted," Jack continued, holding up, one at a time, the crime scene photos of Matt Bergstrom's victims. He laid all the photos in front of the jury, and compared to the horror of the four dead, mutilated, women, Bergstrom's body was as serene as if he had died in his sleep.
Jack looked each juror in the eye, and told them, "Don't punish Abbie Carmichael for doing the only thing she could do, the only thing any reasonable person would do. Find Ms. Carmichael not guilty on all charges. She did what she had to do to save her life. Please don't put her in jail for it." He sat down.
Michael Cutter's closing went by in a blur. Abbie tried not to listen, but the horrible words he used to describe her cut into her mind. "Horrible… despicable… cold-blooded murder… heinous… vengeful… cruel… guilty." Finally, he sat down. The judge instructed the jury on the charges and sent them to deliberate.
The wait was unbearable, but not long. It was less than an hour before it was announced, "The jury has reached a verdict."
The jury was led back into the courtroom and everyone was seated in their proper places. "Have you reached a verdict?" the judge asked the forewoman.
"Yes, Your Honor."
"On the count of murder in the first degree, how do you find?"
"We find the defendant…"
TBC
Yes, I am evil. But I already have the next chapter written, and I'll post it once I get some reviews. :-)