Chapter 15 - THE VERDICT AND THE SENTENCE
After less than forty-five minutes of private deliberation, the jury returned to the courtroom with a unanimous decision.
The courtroom clerk accepted the official verdict sheet from the foreman and handed it directly to Judge Roberts.
"On count one, felony child abuse, how do you find?" Judge Roberts inquired formally.
"Guilty," the jury foreman announced clearly.
"On count two, corporate extortion and wire fraud, how do you find?"
"Guilty," the foreman repeated, his voice echoing in the dead silence of the room.
Victoria slumped forward onto the defense table, sobbing uncontrollably as her final hopes evaporated into thin air.
Judge Roberts turned his stern gaze upon the convicted woman, adjusting his reading glasses.
"Victoria Vance, your calculated cruelty toward a child reveals a appalling lack of basic human decency," Judge Roberts stated firmly. "I sentence you to twenty-five years at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility without eligibility for early parole."
Julian watched silently as federal marshals handcuffed Victoria and led her through the side exit doors toward her permanent prison home.
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The chapter of terror that had haunted his household was officially closed under the strict authority of American justice.
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