Chapter 6 - The Trial of Maris
The legal battle that followed over the next four months was intense and relentless, but the mountain of evidence was insurmountable.
Maris’s defense team tried every trick in the book: claiming the video files were manipulated AI deepfakes, asserting that I had coerced Lumi into testifying, and alleging that I was after Maris’s estate. But Sarah Lin and the state prosecutor smashed every argument to pieces.
The digital forensics team confirmed the authenticity and timestamps of the hidden-camera files from the flash drive. The toxicology reports proved the presence of lethal cardiac toxins in the wine and food samples seized from the Victorian house. Furthermore, the authorities exhumed the body of Maris’s first husband; specialized tissue tests revealed the exact same chemical signatures, leading to additional charges of first-degree murder.
During the trial, the prosecution played the video of Maris coercing Lumi in open court. The jury watched in horrified silence as the mother threatened to destroy her young child's world if she didn't lie.
When Lumi took the stand, accompanied by a court-appointed child advocate and holding her stuffed otter, she spoke with incredible courage. She explained how her mother had hurt her, how she had been forced to practice lying, and how David had saved her.
"David showed me that secrets aren't supposed to hurt," Lumi told the judge. "He promised he would stay, and he kept his promise."
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The verdict was unanimous. Maris was found guilty on all counts: attempted murder, child abuse, forgery, insurance fraud, and the murder of her former husband. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
As she was led away in chains, she looked back at me and Lumi one last time, but her power was entirely gone. She was no longer a shadow over our lives; she was merely a ghost consigned to the dark.
