Chapter 24 - The Verdict
The jury deliberated for less than two hours before returning to the packed courtroom with their final decision.
Victoria stood at the defense table, her hands shaking violently inside her heavy leather restraint belt.
"On the count of attempted first-degree murder, how do you find the defendant?" Judge Carter asked the jury foreman.
"We find the defendant, Victoria Vance, guilty," the foreman announced clearly to the courtroom.
"Guilty of aggravated battery, guilty of felony child endangerment, and guilty of wire fraud," the foreman continued.
A wave of emotional gasps and tears erupted across the spectator gallery as Maya wiped a tear from her cheek.
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Judge Carter looked down at Victoria with stern, uncompromising authority, slamming her wooden gavel down hard.
"I sentence you to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole at the Lowell Correctional Institution," the judge ruled.
