Chapter 8 - The Verdict
The jury deliberated for less than three hours.
When you have raw video, toxicological reports, financial records, explicit text messages, and eyewitness testimony of premeditated battery, the math is simple.
The courtroom was suffocatingly tense as Judge Miller took his seat.
"Will the defendants please stand," Judge Miller ordered.
Fallon and Sibil stood up. Fallon was weeping quietly, holding onto her public defender’s arm. Sibil stood stiffly, still clinging to her delusion of immunity.
"On the first count of aggravated battery with a corrosive substance, how do you find the defendant, Fallon Ward-Vane?"
"Guilty," the jury foreman stated clearly.
Fallon gasped, her knees giving out completely. Her lawyer had to catch her before she hit the floor.
"On the second count of conspiracy to commit severe bodily harm..."
"Guilty."
"On the count of felony evidence tampering..."
"Guilty."
Every single count came back guilty.
Then came Sibil’s verdict.
"On the count of accessory before the fact to aggravated battery..."
"Guilty."
"On the count of felony evidence tampering and witness intimidation..."
"Guilty."
Total conviction across the board.
Judge Miller looked down over his half-moon glasses at the two women. His expression was cold and uncompromising.
"In my twenty-five years on the bench," Judge Miller said, his voice echoing through the silent room, "I have rarely witnessed such a grotesque display of parental neglect, narcissistic cruelty, and complete disregard for human life. To permanently scar a family member for the sake of digital vanity is a crime that strikes at the very core of human decency."
He turned to Fallon.
"Fallon Ward-Vane, you are sentenced to seven years at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women, with no eligibility for parole for the first four years."
Seven years in state prison.
Fallon let out a blood-curdling scream as court officers immediately stepped forward and placed heavy iron handcuffs around her wrists.
"Sibil Ward," Judge Miller continued, turning to my mother. "For your role in planning, financing, and attempting to cover up this crime, you are sentenced to three years in state prison."
Sibil collapsed into her chair, clutching her chest, screaming that she couldn't go to prison, that she was a respectable woman.
Officers hauled them both toward the side door leading to the holding cells.
Right before Fallon was dragged through the door, she turned her head and looked at me one last time.
She wasn't looking at an actuary anymore. She was looking at the woman who had completely dismantled her life, her fame, her freedom, and her family.
I sat in my seat, completely composed, watching the door close behind them.
Greer leaned over, wiping a tear from her eye. "It’s over, Sloan. You won."
May you like
I looked down at my notebook. I drew a neat, double line across the bottom of my spreadsheet.
The account was officially settled.
