Earthcub12 Presents

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney ~ Courtroom Champions

-September 5, 10:46 AM-
-District Court-
-Courtroom No. 4-

CROSS-EXAMINATION

"IT'S TRUE. I WAS THE ONE WHO MOVED THE DAVID STATUE THAT NIGHT."

"Hold it!" Phoenix Wright cried. "You moved the statue? How did you manage to move it without getting your fingerprints on it?"

"I was wearing gloves at the time." Maria answered. "You see, I was making some coffee downstairs, and so I was wearing gloves so I couldn't infect them."

"I suppose that makes sense, but… why? Why would you move the statue in the first place?"

Maria closed her eyes and tried coming up with an answer. "Huh? Oh, I… I-."

"Objection!" Prosecutor Novak shouted. "We'll get to that later. We still have more statements to cover. Witness, continue."

(Miss Novak sure seemed eager to change the subject. Maybe even she doesn't like where this is going.)

"I NOTICED DAVID HAD LEFT THE ROOM AND I SAW THE STATUE LYING ON THE GROUND."

"Hold it! This is where David went out the window, right?" Questioned Phoenix.

Maria nodded. "Yes, that's right. I will never forget the look he gave me that night. Shame, remorse, embarrassment…"

"Witness, focus." Hera order Maria. "What about the statue?"

"Oh, right. Sorry, sorry." Maria continued. "Anyway, I saw the statue just lying there by itself. There was so much blood around Father Owen. I was disgusted."

"I… I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO."

"Hold it!" Phoenix shouted at the witness. "At this point, what was going on in your head? The statue, David, Owen; what was racing in your head?"

"I was in a stir, obviously. I was distracted by Owen's body and the statue, and David's disappearance didn't make me feel any better. I thought he went out for help, but I figured that wasn't the case."

"And why is that?" Phoenix asked.

"Well, for starters, he went through a window and tried picking up glass. Secondly, I did call the police, so why would he go out for help in the first place. It just all seemed wrong."

"And about this statue…" Phoenix added. "You moved it?"

Maria fell silent and said, "Yes. I did."

"I WASN'T THINKING, SO I MOVED THE STATUE."

"Hold it!" Phoenix pressed. "But why? Why would you move the statue?"

"I… I don't know. I just wasn't thinking straight, I guess…"

Phoenix slammed his hands on his desk and exclaimed, "That's not good enough, witness! What reason would you have to move the statue?"

Maria jumped and said, "I'm sorry. I… I just wanted the statue to be put away. That's it."

"But that doesn't add up." Phoenix argued as he pulled a sheet of paper and began scanning it. "The statue was beside Owen when David moved it. Why would you only move it to the opposite side of Owen? That doesn't make sense."

"I wanted to move it away from there, I really did. But I was too weak and too emotional to lift that statue. And so I just merely set it down on the other side. I'm so sorry about the confusion."

"Witness," the Judge said, "I hope you understand the consequences of tampering with a crime scene. Even the smallest details can have the biggest repercussions."

Maria had tears in her eyes and said, "I… I know, Your Honor."

(Poor Maria. This whole thing is just one big mess. Hopefully we can get this all sorted out once we're done here.)

"So you moved the statue just a small ways. What happened next?"

"AT THAT MOMENT, I REALLY DID THINK DAVID KILLED OWEN."

"Hold it! Miss Cupp, do you believe that with all your heart? What makes you so certain?" Phoenix interrogated.

Maria took a deep breath and said, "What more is there to say? The blood on David… the coincidence of finding him in the crime scene… David's disappearance… the fingerprints on the statue. It just all makes too much sense."

Hera chuckled and pointed at the witness with her left hand. "You see? This witness gets it now. How about yourself, Your Honor?"

"Huh? Me?" The Judge asked, clueless and off-guard. "Oh, uh, I will admit that this witness does make a bit of sense, in all honesty. While it is a bad judgment call for the witness to tamper with evidence, she didn't do anything criminally wrong, per se. We will discuss charges on the witness after the proceedings."

"Wait." Maria said, her hand to her chest. "Does that mean… we're done?"

"I'm afraid it's not my place to say." The Judge said, looking at Phoenix. "Mr. Wright, are you done questioning the witness?"

(I'm not sure what more I can get out of this witness. She already made herself pretty clear. So it was all just a misunderstanding, I guess.)

Phoenix nodded and said, "Yes, Your Honor. The defense is through with their cross-examination."

"Very well." The Judge said. "Witness, you have been very helpful, but this court does not condone your actions. As such, there will be some charges your way. Do you understand?"

Maria slowly nodded and said, "Yes. I do, Your Honor. I want to apologize for the confusion. May I go now?"

"Yes, witness." The Judge said. "You may."

(Say… wait a minute! Now that I think about it… why would Maria go so out of her way to move a statue? In fact… what if she was trying to put the statue somewhere more… specific?)

"Thank you, everyone." Maria said aloud. "And I do hope you will be soft on Brother David. He can just be a bit lost, I suppose."

"Yes, witness. We will take care to do that. Now, you may be dismissed."

"Hold it!"

Everyone turned to Phoenix, who was aiming his arm at Maria. "Your Honor! The witness cannot be dismissed just yet!"

"B-but Mr. Wright," the Judge stammered, shocked, "you said you were done questioning the defense!"

Phoenix nodded. "That is true. However, after some thought, I realized there's something sort of bugging me about this whole testimony. Miss Cupp…"

Stunned, Maria weakly replied, "Y-yes?"

"When you moved the statue, I'm not so sure it's because you couldn't lift it, as much you just didn't know where to put it." Phoenix explained to her. "Is that about right?"

"What…?"

"I think you wanted to put the statue in a specific place… but you just couldn't find it. Your Honor, the defense has evidence that showed where Maria initially planned on placing the statue!"

"Is that so?" The Judge replied. "Well then, let's see it. Where did the witness wish to place the statue?"

"Take that!" Phoenix shouted, presenting the Wall Markings to the court.

"Huh? You mean the witness wanted to place the statue… on a wall?" The Judge asked, confused. Phoenix just shook his head.

"No, Your Honor. The witness wanted to place the statue on what was there." Phoenix explained to him. "Take a look at the white markings on the wall." Phoenix projected the picture of the Wall Markings to the court and continued explaining, "Look at how these markings are labeled. It almost looks as if a shelf or a counter belonged on there."

The Judge jumped and gasped. "I think I see it! So if there was a shelf of some kind up there, then that's where the witness intended to place the statue!"

"You hit the nail right on the head, Your Honor." Phoenix complimented. "Is that right, witness?"

Maria, speechless, tried to speak. "I… I…!"

"Objection!" Hera shouted, leaning over her desk. "You're grasping straws, Wright! Who knew long the shelf has been gone? If Maria worked there as long as she did, she would know if the shelf was gone or not! Besides, why wouldn't she just set the statue on Owen's desk, then?"

"That's a good question, Miss Novak." Phoenix told her. "Then allow me to explain. Maybe she wanted to put the statue… where it belonged, perhaps?"

Hera lunged back and gritted her teeth. "What… did you say!?"

Phoenix slammed his desk again. "That's right! The David statue belonged on the shelf that was on the wall! Isn't that right, witness!?"

Maria was silent. "You… you're correct, Mr. Wright!"

Hera lunged back. "What!?"

The gallery began whispering to each other until Hera shouted, "Objection! Everybody, SHUT UP! Mr. Wright, prove yourself! How do you know this shelf existed? Prove this!"

"Objection!" Phoenix retorted. "The witness clearly stated that the shelf exists. What more do you need?"

"Nonsense!" Hera shouted back at Phoenix. "Remember, Maria was hardly ever allowed in Owen's study chambers. She could be mistaken for all we know!"

"The prosecution does make a point, Mr. Wright." The Judge told him. "While I'm not denying there was no shelf of any sort, the question is… how long has it been gone?" Phoenix froze at that question.

"Well, Mr. Wright?" The Judge went on. "I would like to ask you a few questions. First off, when do you think the shelf went missing?"

WHEN OWEN BOUGHT OUT THE CHURCH

THE NIGHT OF THE MURDER

IT NEVER EXISTED IN THE FIRST PLACE

Phoenix slammed his desk. "The defense claims that the shelf disappeared… on the night of the murder!" Phoenix pointed at Hera, who argued back.

"Ridiculous. The shelves were never found at the crime scene. Even if they were there, there's no reason how bolted shelves could just disappear by themselves."

"That true, Mr. Wright." Apollo said to Phoenix. "It's also worth mentioning that there's no reason anyone would just get rid of the shelves that night for any excuse. I think it's about time we turn our thinking around."

(…Turn our thinking around, huh? Well, let's see… the shelves were just above Owen when he was killed… this is rough. I need to think this through… carefully. Logic and bluff, don't fail me now.)

The Judge slammed his gavel and announced, "Well, what do you have to say, Mr. Wright. Do you stand by your assertion that the shelf was indeed removed the night of the crime?"

YOU BET I DO!

I'M NOT SO SURE ANYMORE…

"The defense continues to assert our claim, Your Honor!" Phoenix told him. (I can't afford to slip up here. Just keep acting like you know what you're doing, Phoenix.)

"Fine, then. For what reason were the shelves gone, then?" The Judge asked.

THEY FELL OFF BY THEMSELVES

THE CULPRIT UNSCREWED THE SHELVES

SOMEBODY ELSE REMOVED THEM

"This is going to sound crazy, Your Honor." Phoenix told him. "But I truly think the shelves were removed from the wall by themselves."

"Is that so?" The Judge asked cynically. "Well then, when did this shelf just magically come off the wall?"

THEY JUST DID, FOR NO REASON

JUST BEFORE THE SERVICE THAT NIGHT

DURING THE FIGHT BETWEEN OWEN AND THE CULPRIT

"During the brawl between the victim and the true culprit, Your Honor!" Phoenix confidently exclaimed. (Okay, I think I know what I'm doing. Just stay strong, Phoenix! You're getting there!)

"During the fight, you say?" The Judge asked with his jaw open.

"Objection!" Hera shouted. "Your Honor, this line of questioning is going nowhere! Can we just put an end to this nonsense!?"

"Shortly, Prosecutor Novak." The Judge told her. "Just a few more questions. I want to know where the defense is going with this. Now then, Mr. Wright. During the fight… how did the shelves just disappear?"

THE FIGHT CAUSED THE SHELF TO GET LOOSE

THE SHELF WAS IN POOR CONDITION

THE KILLER USED THE SHELF AS A WEAPON

"Obviously it was the fight itself." Phoenix explained. "During the fight, the shelf must have just gotten loose because of all the noise and crashing around."

The Judge tried taking all this in and said, "Very well. Was there anything important on the shelf at the time?"

Phoenix thought about this, then froze in his place. (Wait a minute… if that was one the shelf at the time… does that mean…?) Phoenix stood straight up and said, "Yes, Your Honor. This evidence was on the shelf at the time of the attack!"

"Take that!" Phoenix presented the evidence that's none other than the bronze David Statue; the murder weapon.

"Say, isn't that the murder weapon?" The Judge asked Phoenix. "What was that doing on the shelf?"

"Did you forget, Your Honor?" Phoenix asked him. "The shelf was where the statue belonged in the first place."

"So, let me get this straight." Everyone could tell the Judge was quite perplexed at this moment. "The culprit grabbed the statue then used it to kill the victim just as the shelf fell off?"

Phoenix paused and thought to himself, (Wait a minute. I've just been rambling this whole time. But... what if it's true? It's the only way. This is the only thing that makes any sense at all!) Phoenix shook his head and said, "No. Think back on it, Your Honor. The statue was on the shelf the entire time. The culprit would never have time to use his energy to grab a mere statue on a shelf."

Hera leaned over her desk, sweating and breathing loudly. "You… you're not going where I think you're going with this… are you?"

Phoenix nodded. "That's right. Everybody…!"

THE MURDER WAS PLANNED

THE STATUE IS A RED HERRING

THE DEATH WAS AN ACCIDENT

Phoenix slammed his desk, and exclaimed, "The murder of Father Owen Miles…

…was an accident!"

Everybody froze in their spots, even Apollo and Maria. Hera and the Judge were in shock of the whole thing. Suddenly, Hera lunged back and screamed so loud it caused the court to shake. "I… I can't believe it!" The Judge yelled, his eyes wide open. "The death itself… was an accident!?"

Phoenix nodded. "That's right. Think back on it. The shelf, the statue, the fight. Once Owen Miles collided with the wall, just below the shelf… the shelf fell due to the impact, causing the statue to fall right on top of Owen's head!"

The gallery began chattering again, saying things like,

"Oh, man! This guy's good! Who would've thought!?"

"Wait, so the death was an accident!? I can't believe it! How could he have figured that out on his own!?"

"Okay, I'm going to this guy's trials from here on out!"

"Objection!" Hera screamed, anger and agitation in her voice. "Nice imagination you have there, Wright! But it all means nothing! Where did the shelf disappear to, huh? Do you mind explaining that?"

"I sure will explain that!" Phoenix exclaimed, a smile on his face. (I've just been bluffing my way up to this point. But what if I'm on to something? With that said, where did the shelf go?)

"I believe I know of the whereabouts as to where the shelf went!" Phoenix cried, pointing his finger at the prosecution. "How the shelf disappeared from the crime scene!"

Hera chuckled. "Well then, let's hear it, Wright. Show us on the crime scene photo as to where the shelf went off to."

When looking through the photo of the crime scene, Phoenix pointed at the broken window just besides Owen. "The shelf went through this window!"

Maria gasped and said, "O-of course! That's how the window broke!"

Phoenix nodded. "Yes. That is right."

"Wait, so… the shelf disappeared through the window? How!?" The Judge demanded.

"This entire trial, we've argued as to how the window broke." Phoenix went on to explain. "What's the most convenient, heaviest object to use to break the window?"

"That's right." Apollo supported. He pointed his finger and exclaimed, "The shelf itself was used to crash break the window so the killer could make their great escape!"

Over at the prosecution's desk, Hera was clutching her throat and breathing rapidly. "This… is… un… real!"

The Judge slammed his gavel and said, "But there's one thing I don't understand. If the shelf was used as a way to break through the window… where did the shelf go?"

"What do you mean, Your Honor?" Phoenix asked him.

"Nothing was found in the alleyway besides glass and some blood. No shelf of the sorts was found there."

"Hmm…" Phoenix said to himself, thinking. "Perhaps the shelf… was taken?"

"Who? By the culprit?"

"No, no, someone else. The culprit was chased off by someone else entirely. Nobody was there for a while except for one third party." Phoenix claimed. "However… there was somebody else that was there. Somebody who would certainly have taken the shelf in the alleyway."

"A third party? Well, by all means, tell us who the third party was."

"Take that!"

After presenting Dennis de Bum's profile, Phoenix went on to say, "This man is Mr. Dennis de Bum. Not only was he by the church the night of the murder, but this man has a tendency to… collect 'garbage', if you will. It is a certainty that this individual took the shelf, as well as saw important details to the crime itself! Your Honor...!" Phoenix pointed at His Honor and said,

"The defense calls Dennis de Bum to the stand!"

The Judge thought about this request and said, "Prosecutor Novak? Any objections?"

Hera brushed some hair out of her face and said, "No objections. I just pray this witness isn't a colossal waste of time."

The Judge nodded and slammed his gavel. "The court will now summon Mr. de Bum to the stand! While we are waiting for this witness, the court now issues a twenty-minute recess. Until then, court is now dismissed." With that, the Judge slammed his gavel once more as everyone got up to leave.

COURT RECORD

-Attorney Badge: My personal badge proving my profession. I never leave home without it.

-Owen's Autopsy Report: Cause of death was an instant kill by a David statue to the victim's head. Time of Death: About 8:00-8:30 PM. Victim is covered in bruises.

-Body Outline: The aftermath of the crime. Blood is splattered around the head and facial area. The statue sits to its left.

-David Statue: Depiction of Michelangelo's David statue. The murder weapon.

-Shattered Coffee Mug: A cup that was likely to have been shattered during the fight between Owen and the killer. Owen probably used this cup against said killer in defense. Was made by Maria Cupp for an ill Owen.

-Jar of Blood: A jar of Owen's blood found in his very office. I have several questions…

-Child's Drawing: A drawing showing Owen, David, and an unknown woman. A bloody smear is on the side because of me.

-Bloody Print: Some kind of bloody print from a shoe on top of the dumpster. Could it be involved with the murder?

-Glass: Shards of glass littering the floor. Must have come from the broken window next to it. A shard has blood on it.

-Black Cloth: A black strip of cloth. Origin unknown.

-Crime Scene Photo: A photo taken of the crime scene. Drops of David's blood left a trail between Owen's desk in the background to the shattered window.

-Church Diagram: A detailed diagram of St. Owen's Baptist Church. The crime scene on the left side is highlighted.

-Bloody Priest Coat: David Vaughan's official priest coat. It is completely coated in Owen Mile's blood. There is also a small tear in fabric over the blood.

-Raya's Statement: "David Vaughan was covered in the victim's blood and his right hand was bleeding profusely. We had doctors patch his right hand up on the way to the Detention Center."

-What it's Like To Be an Average Jack; By Jack Anchor: "Memoir written by Jack Anchor. Includes original, award-winning chapters like, "How to Be Me" and "How to Tackle the Game of Life, Today".

-Jack Anchor's Crime Scene Photo: A photo taken by Jack Anchor; contains a man that fits David's description in the crime scene just after Owen Mile's murder.

-Bag of Coffee Beans: Bag of coffee beans made by Maria Cupp. Gave this bag to Athena before she suddenly disappeared. Found in the crime scene.

-Wall Markings: Odd markings on the wall above the body outline. Could have been a shelf or bookcase.

-White David Statue: A white David statue found in the Junkyard. Mr. Hope donated it to the bum in the Junkyard.

-Silver Ring: A silver ring given to the priests. Belongs to David. Rumors are these rings could lead to amazing things.

-Owen's Coat: Owen's coat that was worn the night he was murdered. A white coat with golden fleece and some blood around the collar.

-Bloody Rug: Owen's rug that was found in the secret tunnel under the church. Bloodstains are on it.

PROFILES

-Apollo Justice: A strong, but loud and persistent, attorney who works with me at the agency. Is friends with the defendant.

-Athena Cykes: A gifted attorney that can read people's emotions though their hearts.

-David Vaughan: The suspect of the crime. A priest at the church where the murder took place.

-Owen Miles: A revered priest that owned the church. The murder victim.

-Jack Anchor: A prestigious news anchor who prides himself a bit too much. Witnessed the murderer.

-Raya Novak: A no-nonsense detective in charge of the investigation. Only been working for a few short months.

-Phineas Filch: A tricky thief that was a witness to a crime a long time ago and is now a janitor at the church.

-Damien Hope: A happy-go-lucky priest that was Owen's apprentice. An overall loving, trusting guy.

-Maria Cupp: The kind, eccentric coffee-lady that works at the church. Called the police.

-Hera Novak: The prosecutor of the case and sister to the detective. This is her very first trial, but showcases great skill.

-Desiree Johnson (AKA DJ): A teenage girl in charge of sound and light. Operates in the church's control room.

-Dennis de Bum: A bum that lives in the junkyard across the church.