eDomme said:
He looks at the tie and wondered why he was the laughing stock of the department; the tie went with the suit and the shirt. In the short time that he had worked here he was with the biggest players in the game. He had learned a lot for Vanessa and it was hard to call her boss, he was the same age, but he didn’t mind his work, he liked the law, which was sort of ironic due to the fact that he broke it all the time during the late hours of the night. He walks into his office which was filled with accolades from high school and his Master degree in Criminal Justice notably in forensic science, his family came from a line of criminal investigators and he was expected to do the same, but he wanted some things to be different, so he decided to be a paralegal. He puts his earphones and then puts “Written in the Stars” By Tinie Tempah; he was now in the zone. He looks at the pictures in the Johnson case and he noticed some things that were out of place and he heard some testimonies and then looks at the picture, some blood was not consistent with blunt force trauma and he printed out the Brady vs. the State. He zoned out and he was in the inner confines of his mind recreating the crime scene, “Okay Johnson says he wasn’t along, yet eyewitnesses he was the only one leaving the house, but that doesn’t explain this blood.” He tells himself. He thinks for a minute, “They must have been another person in the room that committed the actual crime, but who.” He tells himself. He hears a office, "Vanessa is waiting for those files" Her assistant says. He snaps out of it and heads to Vanessa’s room and knocks then enters without permission.
He walks into her office and slams his things and opens the file, “Hey boss lady, Johnson is innocent.” He tells her. He walks next to and shows her the crime scene and points to the blood that he had circled in black, “Johnson gave sworn testimony that he wasn’t the only one that was there right… I think he was right... Since he was covered in blood Anna Gilroy the next door neighbor called the police as Johnson fled. Anna Gilroy was the only one awake because her baby woke her up, while the police were in pursuit of Johnson a second person could have fled, but then she called again telling them that someone left the house after she called. That is exculpatory evidence and I didn’t hear that mentioned at the court at all today. They withheld that from use and according to State vs. Brady this should be taking into consideration. In the case The Supreme Court held that withholding exculpatory evidence violates due process "where the evidence is material either to guilt or to punishment"; and the court determined that under Maryland state law the withheld evidence could not have exculpated the defendant but was material to the level of punishment he would be given. Hence the Maryland Court of Appeals' ruling was affirmed.” He tells her. He opens the file on the case and points out to what he said. He pauses, “So in other words the blood proves his innocence to murder and the fact of Anna Gilroy's statements to the police, he should be getting tried for breaking and entering with the intent to steal.” He tells her. He was proud of his work and looks at her and leaves her office and heads to his office, for once his family background proved to be use full and he was glad
((You know state vs. Brady is an actual case right? )
James was right, of course, and she encouraged the administrative staff to go beyond the sort of mindless "research" some of them were prone to do. Still, it was necessary to remind everyone of his or her place occasionally.
"Good work ... of course there's a reason you're not prosecuting the case, and do you know what that is? It's because you're not a lawyer. I hope this isn't our only copy of this photograph." She held up the photo he had taken the liberty to deface, giving him a cross look. After a momentary pause, she returned it to the folder and smiled at the paralegal assistant.
"I really am very pleased with the work you're doing here, James. Just realize a lot of the older attorneys don't appreciate being lectured on the law by non-attorneys, ok? Now, why don't you see what else you and the investigator can dig up on Johnson's phantom accomplice."
With that done, she turned her attention to the press release she had begun drafting the previous afternoon. A statement regarding the state Attorney General's opinion that Lady Justice could not be deputized a law enforcement officer unless her true identity was revealed. For now, she would have to remain a private citizen detaining criminals for the police, with all the inherent civil and criminal liability risks that involved. Meanwhile, the First Assistant District Attorney would be taking an "early lunch" to coincide with Lady Justice giving a talk to the students of Thomas Jefferson Middle School. How ironic was it that Vanessa Thorndike had been at the same school only a week before for Career Day.
Thank goodness there were no social events scheduled for the evening. She could go home at 5:00 for a nap, then spend the witching hour patrolling the city. Friday nights were always her busiest, except perhaps for Saturdays.