Chapter 7 - The Trial of Silence
Six months after the rescue, the high-ceilinged room of the Cook County Superior Court was packed to absolute capacity for the final judgment.
The prosecution called their key witness: Ethan Vance.
Taking the stand in a small blue suit, Ethan sat before the judge and jury. The entire courtroom remained breathless as the nine-year-old boy recounted his three years behind the plaster walls of Sterling Hall.
"She told me my father didn't love me anymore," Ethan spoke clearly into the microphone, his voice small but remarkably steady. "She said if I made a noise, she would make my father disappear too. So I stayed quiet... but I kept my recorder."
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Prosecutor Adams turned to the jury. "A nine-year-old child showed more courage in the dark than the defendant showed in her entire privileged life."
Victoria’s lead attorney offered no cross-examination. The evidence was overwhelming, the child's testimony unshakeable.
