Law and Order

It was a long draining day today.
We arrived at court around 8:30 and we were met by our Victims Advocate who clued us in to what would probably be happening.
He told us that they expected the trial to go through this week and by Monday
the attorneys would give their closings, then it will be up to the jury.
He warned us that after lunch the medical examiner would be on the stand and there would be pictures.

We were seated in the court room, the jury came in and we all stayed standing
while the judge entered the room.
I expected the defendant to look like drug dealers I have seen on TV, but there sat a
kid in his 20's.
It made me sick to think how many lives have been ruined by drugs.
I am not going into detail about the case, just that it involved
my 23 year old great niece, my brothers only granddaughter, who died from a heroin overdose in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant.
Her parents knew she was troubled and had gotten her professional help and thought things had turned around, little did they know until today how serious her problems were,
Parents can be blind, or sometimes they just don't want to see what is in front of them.
She was a very intelligent young woman who also happened to be suffering from depression

The friend who was with her, another addict, stayed at the scene and was arrested.
He assisted the police in a sting and the dealer was caught.
He is small potatoes but he is being charged with Murder in the 3rd degree, because the substance he sold caused a death.
His lawyers whole defense is going to be, that he wasn't the dealer and that because the companion was afraid of going to jail he just chose this particular dealer at random.

The morning session was mostly the officers and their supervisor who arrived on the scene with in minutes of her collapse.
Then, the Emergency room Doctor, who testified to what had been done to try and save her life, the medications they used to try and reverse the drugs affects.
He also testified to the fact that she had died from a heroin overdose and that it was the only drugs found in her system.
This is important, because other wise the Defense would have been able to say that they couldn't be sure what she died from.

After lunch came the medical examiner and I did not look at any of the pictures and really kind of shut out what he was saying.
The day concluded with the testimony of the friend who was with her.
It was painful for all of us to hear most of the things he said, but
if we can believe him, he went into treatment shortly after this happened last June and hasn't used since.
So maybe one life will be saved because of this tragedy.
His mother was sitting in the back of the court room, I'm sure she was in terrible pain too.

Court resumes tomorrow AM and if time permits I'll add more then. If not Ill update
on the weekend.

Keep those prayers coming,her parents and her 19 year old brother need them.