Abigail the lawyer Pt. 20

The courtroom buzzed with anticipation. After the events of the last hour and a half, things were starting to near a climax. Allen Buck sat in the Defense stand, chained to the floor after his violent outburst and attempted assault on Susana Parra, to which his defense attorney swiftly intervened and prevented any injuries from befalling Susana, taking the blow to himself.  

While he was still enemies with Abigail at this point, her respect for him grew after that moment, knowing that he sacrificed his career for her witness. She looked to Amelia, who was visibly shaken by the chaotic events from earlier. Her mother-to-be, Glenda O’Neil, consoled her as he held her close to her and rubbed her back soothingly while telling her she was safe. 

Abigail smiled at the maternal love Glenda showed to Amelia, happy that despite being separated by blood, she still showed unconditional love to this little girl she found on the street who attempted to pickpocket her for food. 

Abigail rose from her seat, prepared to call her next witness, hoping that this would be the final nail in the coffin for Allen Buck’s case. 

Abigail: Your Honor, I call Officer Jocelyn Velásquez to stand witness. 

A buzz rippled through the gallery as the doors opened and Jocelyn walked down the aisle with a steady purpose to the witness stand, a stone-cold expression spread across her face. Her uniform, usually impeccably pressed, strained slightly at the seams as her pregnant belly threatened to burst out of her uniform. She placed her right hand on the Bible and raised her left hand as she swore the oath, her gaze unwavering as she glanced at Allen Buck.

She took to the witness stand and sat down, prepared to make her testimony. 

Abigail: Officer Velásquez, (Abigail began, her voice clear and steady) Can you please state your name and occupation for the record?

Jocelyn: Jocelyn Velásquez, badge number 479, officer with the Metropolitan Police Department, 14th precinct.

Abigail: (She nodded, happy with Jocelyn’s cool-headed professionalism) Officer Velásquez, can you tell the court about the events of the evening Mr. Allen Buck was apprehended?

Jocelyn nodded, recounting the events of the night that she arrested Allen Buck. 

Jocelyn: The date was November 23rd of last year, 8:33 pm. There was radio chatter of a high-speed chase happening on the highway between two armed gunmen. The chase proceeded to continue into town, eventually ending near the downtown business district, on main street. I was one of the officers that responded to the crash. 

Mr. Henderson: Officer Velásquez, I don’t mean to harp, but you said that this chase was between two armed gunmen, and you are quite pregnant. I don’t mean to criticize your effectiveness as an officer of the law, but you knowingly put yourself in harm's way responding to this crime in progress. 

The jury and gallery broke out in murmurs, some agreeing and questioning Jocelyn’s work while she pregnant, while some accuse Henderson of overusing the argument of pregnancy against the witnesses. Some people even suggested that she should go on leave now. She brushed off their words and continued with her testimony. 

Jocelyn: Your concern is much appreciated, Mr. Henderson, but I have responded to many crimes in progress, including a STING Operation not too long ago that resulted in success and the arrest of multiple high-profile criminals, while I was pregnant with my son. 

Mr. Henderson: I… I see. Thank you for your continued service officer, and congratulations on your baby’s gender. 

Jocelyn: Thank you. (She nodded to him appreciative of his congrats. She then looked back to Abigail and continued with her recounting)  As I was saying, I responded to the crime in progress. Officers on scene before my arrival identified the suspects as, Allen Buck and Mavis Fenric. The latter of which was the pursuer. (She said the last name with venom, loathing Mavis for tampering with her police report and possibly costing Amelia a successful trial if Henderson jumps on the evidence) The chase continued into the alleyways once Mr. Buck’s vehicle was disabled. Officers Chris and I geared up and followed the suspect on foot. After several minutes, we heard an explosion which led us to Mr. Buck. 

Abigail looked through her documents and pulled out Jocelyn’s police report. 

Abigail: Officer Velásquez, on your report, you say that you found Allen Buck in a poor state of health, correct?

Jocelyn: Yes, he was severely injured, (Jocelyn explained, listing off his injuries) Multiple fractures, lacerations, and what appeared to be shrapnel wounds. All his wounds are consistent with injuries related to a 40mm grenade round detonating in close proximity to an near individual. 

Abigail pauses for a moment, letting the information sink in with the jury. 

Abigail: A 40mm grenade round? Excuse my ineptitude for weaponry Officer Velásquez, I am not a woman who knows her guns, but isn’t an explosive of that caliber usually fired from a projectile launcher?

Jocelyn: Yes. Forensic analysis reports that the grenade round was fired from a modified M79 grenade launcher. 

Abigail displays the image of the grenade launcher on the screen that forensic labs reconstructed. 

Abigail: This bounty hunter, Mavis Fenric, escaped capture, correct? 

Jocelyn: Yes. We suspect that when were closing in on her, she fled the crime scene and left Mr. Buck to die, or she intended to leave him alive to be arrested. It is unclear. 

Abigail: Thank you for your testimony Officer Velásquez. 

Mr. Henderson raised his hand, ready to ask Jocelyn his questions. He prepared his documents and sat up straight, unable to stand anymore due to the pain in his abdomen. 

Mr. Henderson. Officer Velásquez, you were the arresting officer who found Mr. Buck after the incident. Can you describe his demeanor?

Jocelyn: He was in a lot of pain from the blast. He was disoriented, incoherent, shell shocked.

Mr. Henderson: Did he resist arrest?

Jocelyn: No, sir. He was physically unable to.

Mr. Henderson: So, he wasn't running away from you, was he? He wasn't actively trying to evade justice.

Jocelyn: No, sir. Not at that point. With his injuries and his condition, if he tried to resist arrest, he would have died of his wounds in minutes. 

Mr. Henderson: (Henderson paused, moving to the next phase of his defense.) Now, Officer, I need you to direct your attention to the weapon used to inflict these injuries on Mr. Buck, (he gestured towards the screen displaying the digital image of the M79 grenade launcher) Was that found near Mr. Buck?

Jocelyn: No, sir. It was not recovered. We suspect it is still in the possession of Ms. Fenric, who has evaded police and all attempts to locate her to date. 

Mr. Henderson: Did anyone else see her flee the crime scene? 

Jocelyn: No, sir. She escaped. 

Henderson nodded, taking in Jocelyn’s testimony. He flipped through her report until he saw that Mavis Fenric’s name was missing from all accounts of her involvement. He frowned, knowing that this would cause reasonable doubt in her testimony. 

Mr. Henderson: Officer Velásquez, you claim that Mavis Fenric was present at the crime scene, and is the one responsible for my client’s grievous injuries, but there is no mention of her name in your police report. Why is that?

Jocelyn grit her teeth when Henderson asked her the question. Her palms started to sweat as she gripped the edge of the stand. The jury began to murmur amongst themselves, questioning the news of her ‘faulty’ report. 

Jocelyn: I did put her name in my report, multiple times. 

Mr. Henderson: Then where is it? While I do not doubt your service and involvement in my client’s arrest, the question of your report’s legibility is very serious. 

Abigail stood from her seat and held up a USB.

Abigail: Your Honor, we have evidence that our case was sabotaged by an external force. The external force being Mavis Fenirc. 

She handed the USB to the Court Clerk who inserted it into the display screen's external hard drive port. Surveillance footage showed up on the screen showing a woman, Mavis Fenric, sneaking into the evidence room and removing her name from Jocelyn’s police report. The sight of the bounty hunter made Jocelyn’s blood boil. 

Abigail: You can see in this video footage from the 14th precinct, that Mavis Fenric clearly tampered with Officer Velásquez’s report on her arrest. 

More hushed murmurs filled the courtroom as the jury and gallery watched the screen. 

Mr. Henderson: Your Honor, while this evidence may exonerate Officer Velásquez’s suspicions of tampering with police evidence, this still doesn’t excuse the fact that the evidence was tampered with, making it ineligible to be used against my client. 

Jocelyn: Oh, don’t worry Mr. Henderson, we have more evidence against Mr. Buck that may surprise you and the jury. Hell, it even surprised me. 

Allen starts to get nervous for the first time in court, shifting in his seat, rattling his chains. This caught Henderson’s attention, making him wonder what Jocelyn found that would make Allen, who has been indifferent and hostile for the entire session of the court, start to sweat. 

Mr. Henderson: And what may that evidence be, Officer Velásquez?

Jocelyn recounts the events after Allen Buck’s arrest and how police raided his house, with a warrant that was presented. 

Jocelyn: Officer Chris and my colleagues raided the Buck house on November 28th of last year. There we discovered evidence of Amelia’s abuse. 

Abigail changed the image on the screen to a steel shackle with pointers placed on the shackle, showing signs of dried blood and damaged skin cells, all of which belonged to Amelia. 

Abigail: this is some of the evidence we found that is directly linked to Amelia’s abuse at the hands of her uncle and girlfriend. Along with that, uniforms found these. 

She changed the screen again to shipping and transport documents. Buck started to lose his cool. 

Allen Buck: Those mean nothing! I work at a shipping company, I sometimes bring my work home!

Mr. Henderson: Quiet. 

Jocelyn: To the uneducated eye, yes, they are documents of shipment records. Except that all of these documents have discrepancies in them. The fuel used in these shipments was too much for the cargo that was transported, they were purposely being over-fueled for something else. Not to mention that your shipments have a history of arriving with missing items. All of this could be related to a simple error in logistics, but all the items lost were the same item. 

Another image popped up on the screen, one that made the courtroom gasp in shock. 

Abigail: Officer Velásquez, would you mind telling the court what these are?

Jocelyn: With pleasure. These are guns used by the Mexican military. The one on the top is the FX-.05 assault rifle, the one on the bottom left is an HM-3 submachine gun, and on the bottom right is an M&P9 handgun. All of these weapons have gone missing while in your care Mr. Buck. Another quite interesting thing, is that all of these weapons are used by our military. Mr. Buck, could you remind us, who is your employer?

Mr. Henderson: My client is not obliged to repeal that information. 

Jocelyn: Oh I know, it was a rhetorical question, I already know. Mr. Buck, you work for a company that transports and delivers weaponry to the Mexican military, weapons that you have been smuggling to the United States, Canada, and Cuba. 

The courtroom descends into chaos at the revelation. Henderson looks at Allen Buck, gobsmacked by the information. 

Judge: Order! Order! Order in the court! Officer Velásquez, how did you come across this information? 

Jocelyn: By following the trail that Mr. Buck left behind for us, and through an unlikely source. 

Abigail: Which leads us to our last witness. Your Honor, I call Amelia Buck to the witness stand.