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"Do you swear to the tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you god?" the bailiff asked Damien, his hand firmly placed on the bible.

"I do" Damien said.

"You may be seated" the judge said as he took a seat in the witness box.

"Isn't this the part where he gets struck by lightning?" Adam whispered to Kyle.

"Shh!" Kyle said to him.

"Damien, explain to me everything that happened on the morning of the assembly" Garrett said to Damien, leaning against the witness box.

"I was really excited that day" Damien said "I was nominated for the MVP award and in my mind I had already won" Damien said.

"Why's that?" Garrett asked.

"I had been pushing myself really hard, and I was hoping all that prep had paid off" Damien said.

"Really...why so much pressure on yourself?" Garrett asked him.

"It was my father's idea" Damien said "He hired me a personal trainer to get my game stronger" Damien said.

"So the morning of the assembly you went in there with high hopes for yourself" Garrett said.

"I did" Damien said.

"What was it like when you found out you lost?" Garrett asked.

"Awful" Damien said "I felt like the wind got knocked out of me, I looked and saw my friends laughing at me" Damien said.

"That probably didn't feel too good" Garrett said.

"It didn't, I just kept remembering the night I told my parents I was nominated" Damien said.

"Really, what happened then?" Garrett asked him.

"My mom wanted to plan a big dinner to celebrate...it was the only time I can remember that my father told me he was proud of me" Damien said sadly. "When I lost, I just kept seeing his face and hearing his voice telling me that I screwed up again" Damien said.

"So...is it possible that this whole ordeal was just caused by the unnecessary pressure your father placed on you?" Garrett asked.

"I think so, yeah" Damien said.

"That's all your honor" Garrett said.

Ian stood up and approached the witness stand "Damien, how'd you get into sports?" Ian asked.

"My older brother played sports so my father thought I should get involved too" Damien said to him.

"What's your relationship with your father like?" Ian asked.

"Relevance your honor?" Garrett asked.

"I'm going somewhere with this I promise" Ian said to Judge Buchanan.

"Hurry it up Mr. Deckler, you may answer the question" he said to Damien.

"Could be better" Damien said to him.

"Damien do you feel your father has a better relationship with your brother than with you?" Ian asked.

"Objection your honor!" Garrett said.

"Overruled, answer the question Mr. Winchester" Judge Buchanan said to Damien.

"Yeah I do" Damien said looking at his father.

"People's exhibit A your honor, a compiled list of all the winners of the Hilridge High School MVP winners since 1945" Ian said holding up a document. "Damien, can you read the highlighted part?" Ian asked setting the page on the witness stand.

" '2004: Darren Winchester, 2005: Darren Winchester'" Damien read.

"Darren Winchester...that's your brother correct?" Ian asked.

"Yes..." Damien said.

"I thought so...Damien, how long have you and Kyle Richardson played football together?" Ian asked.

"Since fourth grade, Kyle and I have been on the same team since I can remember" Damien said.

"Fourth grade, that's a long time" Ian said "Tell me something, did you even want to get into sports or was it all to please your father?" Ian asked.

"I..." Damien stammered "Did you think that by winning this award it would earn you your father's respect?" Ian asked.

"Objection!" Garrett called out.

"Sustained, Mr. Deckler, you're dangerously close to contempt" Judge Buchanan said to her.

"I apologize your honor" Ian said to him "Could this be the real reason why all this happened? Trying to prove your father wrong? that you're just as worthy of his love and respect as your brother is?" Ian asked.

"Your honor!" Garrett yelled, standing up from his seat.

"Mr. Deckler..." Judge Buchanan warned.

"Damien, come on, you're sitting here with the defense that your father of all people drove you to do all this, that the pressure he put on you was too much for you and caused you to snap when we all know it's completely ridiculous" Ian said.

"Your honor!" Garrett shouted again.

"Mr. Deckler either ask a question or dismiss the witness" Judge Buchanan said to him.

"Damien was it your father who drove you to drink on school property? Was it your father who made you humiliate Natalie Cappel in front of the whole school?"

"No" Damien said irritated.

"I didn't think so...it was you...you made the choices to do those things no?" Ian asked.

"Yeah I did" Damien said hostile.

"Damien on the day of the shooting, your mother called the police to report a break in... but...there was no break in, was there?" Ian asked.

"Objection! Relevance?" Garrett yelled.

"Overruled" Judge Buchanan said.

"No... that was me" Damien admitted.

"You must've been pretty angry to do such destruction to your own home" Ian said.

"It was right after I had been suspended" Damien said.

"Damien you were suspended for threatening Kyle Richardson and completely humiliating Natalie Cappel! Do you remember doing these things? Do you remember drinking on the school's roof, do you remember the confrontation in the cafeteria, do you remember your assault on your family's home?" Ian asked.

"Yeah I remember" Damien said.

"Do you remember shooting at Bradley Littrell and Neilson Carter?" Ian asked harshly.

"Yes" Damien said becoming more and more agitated.

"Do you remember shooting your coach and your teacher? do you remember taking Kyle Richardson and Adam McLean hostage?!" Ian asked.

"Yes..." Damien said, trying to control his anger.

"Do you remember shooting Harrison Dorough?!" Ian asked.

"Yes! I remember all of it okay?!" he yelled at Ian.

"People who suffer from mental breaks usually can't remember anything about the crimes they commit, I don't believe you had a mental breakdown, I believe you were angry and you were getting even with the people who wronged you".

"Objection your honor" Garrett called out.

"The report from the psychiatrist...shows Damien has no mental anomalies and was perfectly aware of his surroundings and his actions during the shooting" Ian said handing a folder to the judge.

"You weren't psychotic when you did these things, you were a scared little boy, worried that your father might push you further away when he found out you lost, you were desperate for your father's love that you were willing to hurt as many people as you needed to get it and if you ask me...it's pretty pathetic" Ian said to him.

"Alright Mr. Deckler that's enough, I'll review this in my chambers, we're in recess" the judge said banging the gavel down on the podium. A short while later the judge returned to his booth "After careful consideration, I'm allowing the psychiatrist's report into evidence, the jury will be given a copy and will looked over for deliberation, that is all for today, we're adjourned" he said banging the gavel down once more.

“Does the jury have their verdict?” Judge Buchanan asked.

“We do your honor” a member of the jury said standing up.

“On the attempted murder of Bradley J. Littrell” the Judge Buchanan asked.

“We find the defendant, guilty” the jury foreman said reading from a piece of paper.

“On the attempted murder of William Reinhart how do you find?” Judge Buchanan asked.

“We find the defendant, guilty.”

“On the attempted murder of Gregory Burns, how do you find?” Judge Buchanan asked.

“We find the defendant, guilty”

“On the attempted murder of Harrison Dorough, how do you find?” Judge Buchanan asked.

“We find the defendant, guilty” the jury foreman said once again.

“On the charge of assault with a deadly weapon how do you find?” Judge Buchanan asked.

“We find the defendant, guilty”

“And on the charge of kidnapping” Judge Buchanan asked.

“We find the defendant, guilty” the jury foreman said as Damien sat at his table in silence, staring off into the distance, he put his head down and ran his fingers through his hair.

The judge banged the gavel down on the podium “I want to thank all the members of the jury for their time and service, sentencing will be tomorrow morning, guards take the defendant into custody, court is adjourned”

“Mom” Damien cried as the guards pulled him from the room, she reached out for him.


~*~



"Mr. Winchester, I have no words for the crime you have committed" the judge said as Damien stood before him in coveralls and his hands cuffed in front of him. "severely injuring two educators along with two of your classmates as well as traumatizing others is reprehensible at best, I have no choice but to hand down the sentence required by law" he said. "Damien Winchester, you are sentenced to one year in Ferncliff Juvenile Detention center where you will remain until your eighteenth birthday after which you will be moved to a maximum security facility for approximately ten to fifteen years". Daphne sobbed "Officers please take Mr. Winchester into custody and get him ready for transfer" the judge said as he banged his gavel down "We're adjourned."

Two uniformed officers escorted Damien from the courtroom.

"Mom, I'm so sorry" Damien sobbed as he was pulled out of the courtroom.

"Ian thank you so much" Kellie said hugging him "no problem, glad I could help, I'll see you guys" he said picking up his briefcase and leaving the courtroom.

Kyle still sat in his seat as the others exited the row, he looked over at Damien’s mother sobbing, looking at her sadly as she ran from the room. He then stood up, catching Mr. Winchester’s eye, giving him a sympathetic look, he hung his head down and left the courtroom.

“well…I guess congratulations are in order” Derek said approaching Kellie and Kevin “You’ve won after all” he said.

“I don’t think anybody came out a winner in this situation, and I really don’t understand how you can think otherwise” Kevin said to him.

"Well...don't get too excited there...this isn't over yet, I will make this up to my son, no matter what it takes” Derek said leaving.

"What the hell did that mean?" Kevin asked.

"Did he just threaten our son?" Kellie asked.

TO BE CONTINUED…