Chapter 6 - The Trial of Charles SterlingThe trial of my father, Charles, began in the winter.
The courtroom was packed with journalists. I sat on the prosecution's side, next to my father’s old defense attorney, who had turned state's witness after realizing the extent of the fraud.
My mother sat on the defense side, looking older and frailer than she ever had. She had avoided prison by cooperating with the investigation, but her reputation, her fortune, and her high-society lifestyle were gone forever.
When I took the stand, the room went dead silent.
The defense attorney attempted to cross-examine me, trying to minimize my injuries. "Ms. Sterling, is it not true that your physical scars have healed, and that you are using this tragic family accident to gain corporate control?"
"My scars have healed," I replied, looking directly at the jury. "But the psychological scars of being locked in a room, told I was ugly, and forced to lie to protect my father’s greed have only just begun to heal. The money was never my goal. The truth was."
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To seal the case, my attorney played a recovered audio recording from the night of the fire. It was an old backup from the home security system that my father thought he had wiped. In the recording, my father could be heard splashing accelerant in the pool house, muttering about the insurance payout, completely unaware that Lila had gone inside to hide after an argument.
The jury took less than an hour to return a verdict: Guilty on all counts. My father was sentenced to fifteen years in a federal penitentiary.
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