by J L Walker
“No. I don’t have time. After Jade goes to bed I usually work for a few more hours.”
“You really should try to incorporate at least an hour or so of relaxation into each day. You’ll be surprised how much it helps your stress level. I try to read and hour or two each night. I thoroughly enjoy getting absorbed in a good novel.”
He continued to pinch trigger points on her neck, then placed his palms on the sides of her head and began massaging her scalp, pressing firmly with his thumbs in various places.
Reesa’s eyes were still closed and she moaned softly. “This feels amazing. Please keep doing this…like all day, please.”
Mike smiled. “I need you to tell me when I hit a spot that’s tender. Okay?”
“Um, sure,” she answered quietly. A moment later, she moved her head slightly. “There, right there. That’s a little tender.”
He focused his attention on the spot, massaging in a circular motion around the trigger point. After a few minutes, he removed his hands from her head. “Okay, I want you to open your eyes and tell me how you feel.”
She slowly opened her eyes and took a deep breath. Smiling, she turned her head and looked up at him. “You’re a miracle worker, do you know that?” She chuckled. “It’s gone. My headache is gone!”
Mike returned to his seat across from the desk and couldn’t stop smiling, appearing to be very proud of himself. “Can we get back to work now?”
“Yes, I believe we can. Thank you.”
Later that afternoon, Mike and Reesa were huddled together under a large umbrella as they walked into the Metropolitan Correctional Center. After checking in and being searched, they were once again escorted to a small drab conference room on the third floor.
Reesa began shivering and was unsure if it was due to the remnants of rain permeating her clothing, or if it was the chill she felt every time she entered the dreary prison. Even the now familiar pungent odor of the dungeon-like environment was starting to have a negative effect on her frame of mind.
Fifteen minutes later, she cringed as Adele was ushered into the room in handcuffs and seemingly tossed into the chair adjacent to them by a husky prison guard. She looked more fragile than she had the last time they visited, and her face was an ashen color, accented by hollowed cheeks.
Reesa had a look of despair on her face as she placed her hands on the table and leaned in towards Adele. “Hi, Adele. Jury selection is complete and your trial will begin Monday. Mike and I are very pleased with the twelve jurors. We’ve been spending all of our time preparing for your trial and we’re extremely optimistic. You just need to hang on a bit longer and hopefully you’ll be out of here.”
Tears trickled out of Adele’s eyes. In a soft voice, she said, “Thanks…thank you so much for all your hard work…both of ya.” She glanced at Mike then back to Reesa. Her voice began quivering as she tried to hold back her tears. “I just don’t know what I’ll do if I’m stuck in here much longer.”
“That’s why we’re here, Adele. We need to make sure you’re as prepared as possible when you go to court in a few days, okay?”
Adele nodded her head.
Mike looked at Adele. “I know Reesa has been meeting with you to prepare you for the potential questions the prosecutor may present to you, but I just need to remind you that you’ll be under oath so it’s critical that you not only tell the truth, but you respond only to the questions that are presented to you. Do you understand?”
“Yes. I understand.”
Reesa then commented, “Remember, Adele, when you explain an event, try to take the jurors back with you to when it happened. Can you do that? Try to make them feel what you felt the night you killed Victor. It’s imperative they know that he had raped you a week before, and you truly believed he was about to rape you again. The Assistant DA is very good at trying to suppress information he doesn’t want to come out. He will probably raise objections, but don’t be intimidated by him. Don’t hesitate mentioning the rape when you have an opportunity to do so during your testimony. Mike and I will propose questions to you to derive the information from you that we want the jurors to know. The Assistant DA will then have the opportunity to cross-examine you.”
Adele nodded her head. “Okay. I think I know what you’re saying.”
Mike looked at her and shook his head. “I’m not going to sugar coat this, Adele, he’s going to ask you very difficult questions.”
“Yeah, I know. Ms. Collins has been throwing weird questions at me right and left when she comes to see me. I’ve been thinkin’ a lot about stuff too, ya know, how I should answer and all.”
“Good, but you also need to remain strong and answer the questions to the best of your ability, even though you may feel like breaking down. The jurors need to hear your side of the story. If you break down, they may not get the chance to do that.”
“I’ll do my best. I just wanna get out of here.”
Mike leaned in toward Adele and looked at her intently. “I need to ask you one more thing. Is there anything, anything at all you haven’t told us? It doesn’t matter what it is, or how awful it may seem to you, but things come out in a trial and we need to be as prepared as possible. Even the smallest detail can have a huge impact on the outcome of your trial. Have you thought of anything else we should know?”
“No…no, I’ve told you guys everything.” She began frantically shaking her head, pleading, “Please know that I’ve told you the truth about everything that happened that night, and before. I didn’t want to kill him. I would never want to kill no one. Ever! Do you believe me?”
“Of course we believe you, Adele. That’s why we’re working so diligently to get you acquitted.”
“I know you are.”
Mike sat back in his chair and pulled out his notepad. He started flipping through pages, finally stopping on one, then placed the notepad back on the table. “I’ve seen the list of questions Reesa has presented to you within the last few months, but I’d like to pose a few more to you if you don’t mind.”
“Yeah, sure. That’s fine.”
After Mike pelted difficult questions at Adele for almost two hours, double stitching every word that she uttered, they sensed she was growing weak. Tears were welling up in her eyes and her voice was growing faint. She was having difficulty walking when the guard escorted her out of the room.
Reesa was relieved when they finally left the building and began walking toward the car. It was still pouring outside, but she didn’t care. Once they were in the car, she took a deep breath, unable to start the car.
“Hey, are you okay?” Mike asked, sensing her anguish.
“Yes, I just need a moment.”
Mike reached over and rubbed her neck. “She’ll be fine. It was a little rough in there, but we’ll get through this. Okay?”
Reesa nodded her head, trying hard to blink back the tears that were forming in her eyes. “I just don’t know if she’s strong enough to do this, Mike. She was to the breaking point in there and Mahoney is going to be ten times tougher on her than you were. I’ve seen him in action before and he can get very brutal with defendants. He’ll sense her weakness and try to break her.”
“Let’s just hope the judge will cut us some slack when we object. Maybe his brutality will play out in our favor with the jurors.”
Reesa started the car. “I sure hope so.” Her mind was running a million miles an hour as she drove back to the office.
Mike sat quietly beside her.
“Mike?” she finally asked as they neared the office building.
“Yes?” he answered, rubbing his chin with his thumb and index finger, obviously deep in thought.
“Do you think it’s possible that the prosecution had something to do with Adele having to spend time in solitary confinement? It just seems to me that was the turning point in her emotional wellbeing. Maybe they wanted her as emotionally unstable as possible prior to the trial.”
“Okay, now I think you’re being a li
ttle too cynical. Even if they could have coerced prison officials to throw her in the box, I really doubt they could have instigated the event that started the brawl with her cellmate.”
“I guess you’re right. I’m just fearful that she’s not strong enough to contribute to her own defense. How is she going to be able to testify if she has physical or psychological damage from being in that place? She’s coming apart at the seams, Mike.”
14
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK VS. ADELE NICOLE CASTILLO
At three o’clock Monday morning, Reesa was at home pacing the floor of her den rehearsing her opening statement for the hundredth time. She always found it difficult to sleep the night before a large trial began. On this morning, not only was she unable to sleep, but her headache had returned with a vengeance. After taking two more extra-strength aspirins, she continued traipsing the room. As she walked past her desk, which served as her imaginary jury box, she heard her phone beep. She picked it up and saw a text message from Mike that read, “Are you awake?”
She texted him back. “Yes.”
“Thought you might be. Stressed out?” he texted back.
“Yes. Can never sleep before a trial.”
“Thought it was just me. Downed 2 doses of Pepto. About to take another hit.”
“TMI”
“Sorry.”
“Call me if you need to discuss something other than your bowel issues. I’m practicing my opening statement.”
A second later her phone rang. “Good morning, Mike.”
“Hi. Geez, this is brutal. I don’t think I’ve ever been this uptight before a trial. How do you deal with the stress?”
“I prepare more.”
“Does it work?”
“Not really, but it occupies the time and makes me feel like I’m accomplishing something.”
After she rehearsed her opening statement to him, they talked for another half hour about the case. Then she took a shower and put on her best navy-blue suit, accompanied with a white blouse and a pair of navy-blue shoes with a slight heel. She put her hair up and applied a tiny bit of makeup. After drinking a quick cup of coffee while Jade ate her breakfast, she left for the office to meet Mike and head to the courthouse.
They entered the courtroom at 8:30 a.m., a half hour before the trial was due to commence. As they walked toward the front of the room, Reesa glanced over and saw the prosecutors, Joseph Mahoney and Donna Farley, already seated. Both had their heads down, viciously reading their notes. Neither of them bothered to look in their direction as they took their seats at the defendant’s table.
After retrieving files and notepads from her briefcase and placing them neatly on the table, Reesa peered across the aisle. Mahoney turned his head slightly and caught her gaze. He returned her forced smile with a scowl, then immediately turned to Farley and whispered something in her ear. Reesa felt her blood pressure rise and began reading through her notes, just as Mike was already doing. She wondered if he was oblivious to Mahoney’s tactics, or merely preparing for the difficult day ahead. She was confident that by the end of the first day of the trial, he would have a clear picture of the sinister eloquence the prosecutor was capable of portraying in the courtroom.
Reesa glanced at her watch and knew Adele would be ushered into the courtroom shortly. She prepared herself for their encounter by taking a few deep breaths and briefly closing her eyes. She hoped Adele was in a better emotional state than when they had left her a few days before.
Dr. Wilson had assured her she would visit Adele during the weekend to monitor her mental state. She had been visiting her once a week to help her deal with the trauma of being in prison, as well as the post-traumatic stress association with the rape, and the violent attack in which she had killed Victor DeWald. Reesa hoped it had helped, but knew Adele had a long road ahead to achieve emotional health.
At the Metropolitan Correctional Center, Adele was being prepared to head to the criminal courthouse for her trial. Her hands were cuffed behind her back when she was presented to federal marshals in the basement of the building. The marshals shackled her ankles, forcing her to shuffle through the long tunnel forty feet below the street to the courthouse. At the end of each channel were electronic doors operated by correction officers at surveillance stations.
She tried to remain strong as she journeyed through the corridors, anxious to see anything remotely resembling humanity. Her legs and ankles were aching when she finally reached the elevator leading to the courthouse. Once the doors opened, she was shoved into a locked cage for the ride up to the courthouse. When she exited, two guards unshackled her ankles and wrists, then escorted her into the courtroom to the defendant’s table where she took a seat beside Mike.
Reesa reached over to Adele and placed her hand on her arm. She smiled and whispered, “Good morning. Are you okay?”
Adele smiled through trembling lips. “Yes, I think so.”
“You look nice.”
Adele was dressed in a beige suite with a white blouse Reesa had purchased for her. Her long, dark hair was neatly combed and tied back at the nape of her neck. “Thank you,” she replied softly as she nervously glanced around the room.
With only fifteen minutes until the trial was due to start, the courtroom was filling up. Reesa looked back to the gallery area to see if any of Adele’s family was present. There appeared to be no one. Even Adele’s mother had failed to be present the first day of the trial. Reesa thought she might arrive later, or perhaps she had chosen to spare herself from seeing the graphic photos of Victor’s dead body, and from hearing the gory testimonies of the initial witnesses for the prosecution.
Reesa’s stomach was in knots when the bailiff announced, “All rise, this court is now in session. The Honorable Phillip Regnier presiding.”
Everyone in the courtroom stood as Judge Regnier entered the courtroom and took his seat at the bench. After taking a moment to situate his large frame on the oversized leather chair, he peered out over the courtroom and ordered, “Please be seated.”
When the jury members were ushered to the jury box, Reesa eyed them as they walked in and took their seats. She watched carefully as the juror that reminded her of Bryan sat down in the middle of the front row. Her eyes met his and quivers shot down her spine. She regretted listening to Mike’s crazy notion that he would be sympathetic to Adele’s circumstances.
Regnier glanced briefly at the documents in front of him, then looked up. “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Calling the case of the People of the State of New York versus Adele Nicole Castillo. Are both sides ready?”
Assistant DA Mahoney answered boldly, “Ready for the People, Your Honor.”
Reesa then replied, “Ready for the defense, Your Honor.” She usually felt a sudden rush of adrenaline when she said those words. Now, she was visibly trembling. Her head was still aching, and she regretted not taking a few more aspirins before the judge took the bench.
Her mind was swimming with doubt about the jury, Mike, her defense strategy, and Adele’s mental state when Mahoney stood up and walked to the front of the room up to make his opening statement.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I’d first like to introduce myself. I am Assistant District Attorney Joseph Mahoney. I am a servant of the State of New York, and my job, which I take very seriously, is to keep criminals off the streets of New York City – one of the most beloved cities on the face of this earth, making it a safe place to live and raise our families.
“Throughout the course of this trial, you will have the privilege in joining me in this important endeavor as I prove to you that the defendant, Ms. Adele Castillo, did, in fact, murder Mr. Victor DeWald in the first degree. I will provide indisputable evidence that will prove beyond a reasonable doubt that she not only murdered him, but had the motive, the weapon, and planned the heinous event down to the very second.
“On the 5th day of August, 2016, Mr. Victor DeWald, a well respected man, and loving husband of Nora De
Wald, returned to his small home in Brooklyn at one-thirty in the morning only to be confronted by Adele Castillo, who was waiting eagerly, armed, and ready to take his life.
“Mr. DeWald wasn’t a rich man by any means, but he adored his wife of five years, and even allowed her daughter, the defendant, to stay with them when she had nowhere else to live. He asked nothing in return for his generosity. And how was that good deed repaid?”
Reesa became enraged at Mahoney as he continued his rant for the next twenty minutes, attempting to convince the jury of his theory that Adele had an intense romantic interest in Victor DeWald. He referred to her as an unstable, scorned woman, running from an abusive relationship to the only man she thought could love and protect her. When he continually refused her advances, she planned his murder.
Reesa’s blood pressure rose as she watched the juror’s facial expressions while they listened closely to every word he uttered. She was convinced they were buying into everything he said, and glanced over at Mike to see if he shared her exasperation. He was taking notes, seeming oblivious to the whole commentary.
When Mahoney finally finished, Judge Regnier glanced in her direction. “Ms. Collins, you have indicated your desire to make an opening statement, is that correct?”
“Yes, your honor.”
“You may proceed.”
Reesa took a deep breath and walked up to the jury box, wondering if her contemptuousness for Mahoney was visible to the jury, and to the entire courtroom. Vowing to herself not to look at him, she began her opening statement. “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I would first like to thank you for your dedication and service to the State of New York. I realize you are making an enormous sacrifice to serve on this jury, and I assure you it is greatly appreciated by myself, my co-council, Mike Jenkins, but most of all, by Adele Castillo, whose life and well being now rests in your hands.
“As Mr. Mahoney indicated, the decisions you’ll be making carry the utmost weight. The fate of a woman, who was doing nothing more than trying to protect herself from the savage attack of a violet man, will be up to you.