August 1, 10:03 A.M. District Court, Courtroom No. 1

Prosecutor Helado tapped his fingernails upon the counsel bench as Detective Gumshoe tried to get back on track with this testimony.

"It may have been that the DNA found was unable to prove the identity of the killer, but we can identify a potential line of people who could have killed Mr. Simmons. We'll use simple process of elimination, and then find out the culprit!"

The judge sighed, "I say I have to agree with Detective Gumshoe, Mr. Wright. Although mDNA is not as useful as regular DNA, it still can be used to pinpoint a criminal. Therefore, your implied claim earlier about mDNA being too vague to pinpoint a culprit is invalid."

Helado smirked and whispered, "Hee hee hee..."

Phoenix shuddered and groaned, "What the?! How is that even relevant to this case! What now? The LAPD is going to arrest every living member of Jamie's family, and charge them with murder?!"

Meanwhile, the court gallery erupted into roar of gasps and debate.

One man said, "Prosecutor Helado has some tricks up his sleeve."

Another asked, "How is it ethical to charge a teenager with the murder of a classmate?"

A child implored, "Mommy, Daddy, is Spanish-guy right?"

The judge slammed his gavel downward. "Order! Order! Order!" "Mr. Wright, even though the circumstances are bleak, would you Cross-Examine Detective Gumshoe?"

Jamie whispered, "It's my only chance. Otherwise... I'm in a jumpsuit on Death Row!" Phoenix gasped, "Y-Yes, Your Honor." Helado yelled, "What now, Hedgehog Head? What now?"

The defense attorney repeated, "I'm Cross-Examining your witness, Detective Gumshoe." Helado shook his head. "Vaya por delante, perdedor."

"It may have been that the DNA found was unable to prove the identity of the killer, but we can identify a potential line of people who could have killed Mr. Simmons."

Phoenix yelled, "Hold it!"

"It potentially could take years to find all of the maternal relatives of Jamie!"

Helado growled, "¡Silencio!"

"Pfft. Nonsense. Someone who's dead can't commit murder, Sr. Wright. We can simply collect alibis and eliminate suspects until we find the killer!"

Phoenix shuddered, "God... this guy never stops, does he?"

The detective beamed, "Your Honor, speaking of alibis, Ms. Patterson lacks a viable one."

The judge asked, "Did she even have an alibi?"

"No, Your Honor. She was there when the murder took place." Gumshoe coughed and resumed his testimony. "And so, in order to find our murderer..."

"We'll use simple process of elimination, and then find out the culprit!"

The defense attorney screamed, "Objection!" His arm extended, and Phoenix's left index finger pointed straight at Detective Gumshoe's face.

"Detective, you claim that by using 'process of elimination', you can determine who killed Mr. Simmons?"

Gumshoe yelled, "Well, I think so. What's wrong with that?"

Phoenix slammed his hands down on the bench. "Detective, there is the possibility that the DNA you found was tampered with. Perhaps the DNA was simply placed there by the real killer!"

Helado interrupted, "¡Objeción!" "There is not enough time after a murder to place foreign DNA on the scene! Besides, how would a killer obtain a different person's DNA?"

Phoenix explained, "Many things contain DNA, including hair samples, saliva, and other bodily fluids. One could easily obtain such materials!"

Helado exploded, "¡¿Que?!"

The jury roared in surprise, and in response, the judge banged his gavel three times. "Order! Order in the court!" "Detective, this is your last chance. If you can not provide reasonable evidence to prosecute Ms. Patterson, you will be dismissed from the stand, and a new witness will be called in your place."

Gumshoe sweated, "Yes, Your Honor..."

Helado grunted, "Your Honor, I would prefer if Detective would testify about the state of the victim's body. The judge sighed, "I suppose. With that, begin your testimony, Detective."

"When I first arrived, I noticed that Mr. Simmons' body was in rough shape. The bullet wounds in his head were large and wide. The inside of the case had partially coagulated blood on the sides. When I opened his eyelids and inspected his eyes, it proved that he was killed instantly when the bullets traveled into his head."

The judge continued, "Mr. Wright, Cross-Examination." Phoenix thought, "What Detective said was awfully vague and it just sounded fishy. It was as if he hiding something."

"When I first arrived, I noticed that Mr. Simmons' body was in rough shape. The bullet wounds in his head were large and wide. The inside of the case had partially coagulated blood on the sides. When I opened his eyelids and inspected his eyes, it proved that he was killed instantly when the bullets traveled into his head."

The defense attorney yelled, "Hold it!"

"How could you tell he was killed instantly? What was the size of his pupils?"

Gumshoe answered, "The medical examiner was on the scene to perform the external examination, and he was going to perform the internal exam in the morgue. One pupil was dilated, while the other was constricted." The judge jumped in. "Detective, add that statement to your testimony."

"His pupils showed signs that he had been killed instantly by the shooter! His pupils were of different sizes!"

Phoenix screamed, "Objection!"

"Detective, you allege that Mr. Simmons was killed instantly because his pupils were of different diameters, correct?"

Gumshoe replied, "That's what the medical examiner said!"

The defense attorney slammed his hands forcefully downward. "His differently sized pupils actually show signs of brain injury, or a stroke. He was likely alive for a few minutes after he was shot... but the killer didn't know that!"

The judge asked, "Mr. Wright, what evidence do you have to support your claim?"

Phoenix looked through the Court Record briefly, and yelled, "Take that!"

"Your Honor, I would like to prepose a theory as to why Mr. Simmons was alive after the shooting. And that theory is simple: Mr. Simmons became unconscious after he was shot!"

The judge agreed. "I see. It makes sense, Mr. Wright. Detective Gumshoe, I hereby dismiss you from the stand."

Gumshoe yelled, "Really, pal?!"

The judge glared at the detective as he walked into the court gallery.

Helado scoffed, "Ah, he was useless, anyway. With that, Your Honor, I have decided who my next witness will be."

His Honor asked, "And who is that?"

Helado continued, "Your Honor, las llamadas de cargo Officer Mike Meekins to the stand. Mr. Meekins arrested Ms. Patterson at around 11:00 A.M. yesterday."

Phoenix thought, "Not this again... Prosecutor Helado strikes again! What to do now? Furthermore, is the trial of Allison Brooks even in session anymore?! I wonder how Maya's doing in there..."