Free Web NovelChapter 331: Victor Hale’s Sentencing
When court resumed after lunch, the gallery was more crowded than before. News had spread that the case was entering closing arguments. Reporters filled the press area. Members of the public sat silently behind the barriers. Victor returned to his seat with his shoulders slumped and his eyes empty. Richard sat behind him again, but there was now a distance between them that everyone could feel.
Damian entered and took his seat.
"Counsel, you may proceed with closing arguments."
The defense attorney stood first. He walked slowly before the jury, his voice measured and calm. He did not pretend Victor was innocent. He did not deny that Victor had made terrible choices. Instead, he focused on uncertainty.
"Mr. Hale was reckless," he said. "He was intoxicated. He should not have driven. No one is asking you to excuse that. But this case is not about whether Victor Hale made mistakes. It is about whether the State has proven beyond reasonable doubt that those mistakes alone caused this tragedy. The vehicle malfunctioned. The autonomous system failed to properly interpret the traffic signal. The safety system did not respond as it should have. Even a sober driver may have struggled under those conditions. You cannot convict a man of the highest charge simply because you are angry at what happened. You must decide based on what can be proven."
He pointed toward Victor briefly. "Victor Hale is not a monster. He is a man who made a devastating mistake in a vehicle that failed when it was needed most."
The defense attorney returned to his seat, and the prosecutor rose immediately afterward. He did not walk around the courtroom. He remained near the jury, holding a copy of the crash timeline in his hand.
"This case is not complicated," he began. "The defense wants you to believe it is complicated because complexity creates doubt. But the facts are simple."
He placed the timeline on the screen.
"At eleven forty seven, Victor Hale begins drinking at the Ashford Club. At one fifty nine, witnesses describe him as visibly intoxicated. At two fourteen, he leaves the club. Marcus Doyle offers to drive him home. Victor Hale refuses. At two eighteen, his vehicle warns him that his driving behavior is unsafe. At two nineteen, the vehicle attempts to reduce speed. Victor Hale presses the accelerator. At two twenty one, he runs a red light at nearly ninety miles per hour. Ethan Morales dies. Sophia Morales wakes up without her husband. Emily Morales loses her leg."
The prosecutor turned toward the jury. "The autonomous system malfunctioned. We are not denying that. But a malfunction is not a command. It did not pour alcohol into Victor Hale’s mouth. It did not laugh at Marcus Doyle when he offered to drive. It did not press the accelerator. It did not grab the steering wheel. It did not run the red light. Victor Hale did."
His voice lowered. "The defense says he is not a monster. We agree. Monsters are not real. Choices are real. Consequences are real. Ethan Morales is dead because Victor Hale made a series of choices that ended in one violent moment. Sophia Morales will live with those choices for the rest of her life. Emily Morales will grow up with those choices. The question before you is not whether the vehicle failed. The question is whether Victor Hale’s actions turned that failure into a catastrophe."
The prosecutor looked toward Victor, then back to the jury. "The answer is yes."
’That was pretty good.’ Rin admitted and Damian slowly nodded.
Truly, Michael gave an amazing speech.
When the closing arguments ended, Damian stood and looked toward the jury. His voice was calm, controlled, and completely detached from the tension filling the courtroom.
"Members of the jury, you must decide this case based solely on the evidence presented before you in this courtroom. You must not consider media coverage, public opinion, the wealth or status of any individual involved, or events unrelated to the charges before you. You must not consider the attempted attack against this court or against me. Those matters are separate and have no place in your deliberations."
Richard’s expression tightened slightly at those words, but Damian continued without acknowledging him.
"You are not here to punish a name. You are not here to protect a name. You are here to determine whether the State has proven the charges beyond reasonable doubt. You must consider the evidence, apply the law, and reach a verdict without fear, sympathy, anger, or influence."
The jury was escorted out to begin deliberation.
The courthouse became tense within minutes. Reporters gathered outside the courtroom doors, waiting for any sign of movement. Protesters remained outside in the cold, their voices echoing faintly through the windows. On television screens in the courthouse lobby, Black Sheep Firm released a statement claiming that Victor Hale acted independently and that the company had no knowledge of any attempt to interfere with the judicial process. Political figures who had once proudly stood beside Richard Hale began releasing statements calling for transparency and accountability.
Richard watched one of those statements on a phone held by his attorney. His face remained calm, but his eyes revealed something darker. The people who had benefited from his influence were already leaving him behind. They were protecting themselves. They were doing exactly what he had done to Victor.
Victor was placed in a holding room while the jury deliberated. He sat alone on a bench with his hands clasped together, staring at the floor. He did not notice the door opening until Damian entered.
Victor looked up slowly. "Are you here to enjoy this?"
Damian closed the door behind him and stood near the wall. "Yes."
Victor laughed bitterly. "Of you do. I gave you every reason to hate me."
Damian looked at him quietly for a moment.
"I won’t say it that way. Hatred would mean you still matter to me personally."
Victor’s face stiffened.
"You do not," Damian continued. "You are a man facing the consequences of his choices. Nothing more."
Victor stared at him, unable to respond. Damian turned toward the door.
"You had chances to stop that night from happening and even more chances to take responsibility afterward. You chose not to. Whatever happens next is your fault."
Damian left him alone again.
Several hours passed before the court officer finally entered the hallway and announced that the jury had reached a verdict. The courtroom filled again within minutes. Sophia held Emily’s hand tightly as they returned to their seats. Richard sat behind Victor with his jaw clenched. Victor looked toward Damian as he was brought back to the defense table, but Damian did not look at him.
The jury entered. Their faces were solemn.
"Has the jury reached a verdict?" Damian asked.
The foreperson stood. "We have, Your Honor."
Victor’s hands began shaking.
"On the charge of aggravated DUI causing death, how do you find the defendant?"
"Guilty."
Sophia covered her mouth as tears filled her eyes. Emily held her hand tighter.
"On the charge of reckless homicide, how do you find the defendant?"
"Guilty."
Victor’s face lost all color.
"On the charge of aggravated battery causing permanent disability, how do you find the defendant?"
"Guilty."
Damian adjusted the sentencing papers before him and looked directly at Victor Hale.
"Mr. Hale, the jury has found you guilty on all counts. After considering the gravity of the offenses, the irreversible harm caused to the victims, your refusal to accept responsibility, and the sentencing guidelines of this State, this Court hereby sentences you to a total term of thirty two years in the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections."
Victor’s knees nearly buckled.
"You will also be permanently disqualified from holding any corporate executive position requiring judicial certification, your driving privileges are revoked indefinitely, and restitution shall be paid to the Morales family in an amount to be determined by this Court."
Damian paused only briefly before delivering the final words.
"This Court is adjourned."
The gavel struck once.
The courtroom erupted into noise. Some people cried. Some shouted. Court officers moved quickly to restore order. Sophia bent toward Emily and held her tightly, tears falling down her face as her daughter remained silent in her arms.
Richard Hale did not move. He sat perfectly still, but the fear in his eyes was impossible to hide. Victor’s conviction was no longer just Victor’s problem. The public would demand more. Investigators would look deeper. The assassination attempt would return to the headlines. The recordings held by the surviving assassin would become more dangerous. Black Sheep Firm would become a target.
He would become a target of this man.
Victor was led away in handcuffs. He looked back once toward his father, but Richard did not rise. He did not call his name. He did not even meet his eyes.
Damian watched Victor leave the courtroom without expression. There was no satisfaction on his face. The verdict was not revenge. It was simply the law finally reaching someone who had spent his life believing he was beyond it.
Outside the courthouse, the crowd erupted when the verdict was announced. News stations immediately began broadcasting the result across the country. As Damian left the courtroom through the secured hallway, his phone vibrated once. Loth’s message appeared on the screen.
"They are already moving against Richard."
Damian looked at the message for a moment before placing the phone back into his pocket. Victor Hale had fallen. Now the rest of the Hale empire would begin to collapse.
