The moment David stepped outside the courtroom, he was surrounded by television cameras and shouting reporters.
“Do you have a statement, Mr. Singer .. . ?”
“We hear Judge Williams says you’re going to be disbarred.…”
“Judge Williams says she’s going to hold you for contempt of court. Do you think you—?”
“The experts feel you’ve lost this case. Do you plan to appeal…?”
“Our network legal experts say that your client will get the death penalty.…”
“Have you made any plans for the future…?”
David got into his car without a word and drove away.
Chapter Twenty-one
HE rewrote the scenes in his mind, over and over again, endlessly.
I saw the news this morning, Dr. Patterson. I can’t tell you how very sorry I am.
Yes. It’s been quite a blow. I need your help, David.
Of course. Anything I can do.
I want you to represent Ashley.
I can’t do that. I’m not a criminal defense lawyer. But I can recommend a great attorney, Jesse Quiller.
That will be fine. Thank you, David.…
You’re an anxious young fellow, aren’t you? Our meeting wasn’t supposed to be until five o’clock. Well, I have good news for you. We’re making you a partner.
You asked to see me?
Yes, Your Honor. They’re talking about this trial on the Internet, and they’ve already convicted the defendant. This could seriously damage the defense. Therefore, I’m making a motion for a mistrial.
I think those are excellent grounds for a mistrial, Mr. Singer. I’m going to grant it…
The bitter-tasting game of “what if.”…
The following morning, the court was in session.
“Is the prosecution ready to make its closing argument?” Brennan stood up. He walked over to the jury box and looked at the jurors one by one.
“You’re in a position to make history here. If you believe that the defendant is really a lot of different people and she’s not responsible for what she’s done, for the terrible crimes she committed, and you let her go, then you’re saying that anybody can get away with murder by simply claiming that they didn’t do it, that some mysterious alter ego did it. They can rob, rape and kill, and are they guilty? No. ’I didn’t do it. My alter ego did it.’ Ken or Joe or Suzy or whatever they want to call themselves. Well, I think you’re all too intelligent to fall for that fantasy. The reality is in those photographs you looked at. Those people weren’t murdered by any alter egos. They were all deliberately, calculatedly, cruelly murdered by the defendant sitting at that table, Ashley Patterson. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, what the defense has tried to do in this court has been tried before. In Mann Versus Teller, the decision was that a finding of MPD does not, per se, require a finding of acquittal. In United States Versus Whirley, a nurse who murdered a baby pleaded that she had MPD. The court found her guilty.
“You know, I almost feel sorry for the defendant. All those characters living in that poor girl. I’m sure none of us would want a bunch of crazy strangers moving around inside us, would we? Going around murdering and castrating men. I’d be scared.”
He turned to look at Ashley. “The defendant doesn’t seem scared, does she? Not too scared to put on a pretty dress and comb her hair nicely and apply makeup. She doesn’t seem scared at all. She thinks you’re going to believe her story and let her go. No one can prove whether this multiple personality disorder really exists at all, so we’re going to have to make our own judgments.
“The defense claims that these characters come out and take over. Let’s see—there’s Toni; she was born in England. And Alette; she was born in Italy. They’re all the same person. They were just born in different countries at different times. Does that confuse you? I know it confuses me. I offered the defendant a chance to let us see her alters, but she didn’t take me up on it. I wonder why? Could it be because they don’t exist…? Does California law recognize MPD as a mental condition? No. Colorado law? No. Mississippi? No. Federal law? No. As a matter of fact, no state has a law confirming MPD as a legal defense. And why? Because it isn’t a defense. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s a fictitious alibi to escape punishment.…”