Chapter 4: The Trial That Shocked the Entire Country
Ethan Carter’s trial for the murder of his grandfather and the 12 innocent victims of the gala attack lasted six weeks, and it was one of the most high-profile trials in the history of Chicago, with hundreds of reporters and spectators packing the courtroom every day. The prosecution called over 50 witnesses, including Mia Torres, who testified in court about the security footage she had found on her hard drive, and Jake Miller, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and testified against Ethan in exchange for a reduced sentence of 20 years in prison. The prosecution also played the security footage from the parking garage, showing Ethan meeting with the assassins the night before the gala, and the handwritten notebook that contained detailed plans for the attack, as well as the emails between Ethan and Jake Miller, which were presented as evidence of his guilt.
Ethan’s defense team, a group of high-profile criminal defense attorneys from Chicago, argued that Ethan had been framed by his father, that Richard had killed his own father to take over the company and then blamed Ethan for the attack, and that the security footage and the emails had been fabricated by Richard to make Ethan look guilty. They called several witnesses who testified that Richard had been in a heated argument with his father the night before the gala, and that he had threatened to fire Ethan from the company if he didn’t step down as CEO, but the prosecution dismantled their argument by showing that Richard had called the Chicago Police Department immediately after finding out about the plot, and that he had cooperated fully with the investigation. They also called a forensic expert who testified that the security footage and the emails had not been altered in any way, and that they were authentic.
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After four days of deliberation, the jury returned a guilty verdict on all charges, and Ethan was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The courtroom erupted in cheers when the judge read the sentence, as the families of the victims hugged each other and cried, and Mia Torres wiped away tears as she sat in the gallery, finally feeling like justice had been served. Richard sat in the back of the courtroom, staring at Ethan, who was being led out of the courtroom in handcuffs, and he felt a mix of grief and relief. He had lost his father, his son, and the reputation of the company he had spent 30 years building, but he had also done the right thing, and he had protected the employees and shareholders of Carter Global from further harm.
Over the next few months, Richard worked to rebuild Carter Global, hiring a new team of executives to lead the company’s real estate division, and launching a new corporate social responsibility program that donated 10% of the company’s annual profits to organizations that supported victims of gun violence and domestic terrorism. He also started a nonprofit organization called the Carter Family Foundation, which provided financial support to the families of the victims of the gala attack, helping them pay for funeral expenses and medical bills. Mia Torres was hired as the director of the foundation’s programs, and she worked closely with Richard to help the families of the victims heal and move forward with their lives.
