(no subject)
I was talking to mom...well Piper mom and then the baliff called us all to attention as the judge walked in the courtroom. I was not ready for this. I had days..even months to prepare for this and I still wasn't ready. My lawyer made it so I didn't habe to be here for the jury selection, but I had to be here today. I was to be called first to testify. I didn't understand why I was first to testify, but I trusted my lawyer.
After the opening arguments that were brutal I was called to the stand and they began to question me. Just simple questions at first...I got comfortbale thinking that I wouldn't be attacked. Then it began. It pretty much went like every Law and Order episode that I was able to stomach.
Lawyer: "Miss St James please tell the court what you were doing in the motel room that day."
Julie: I looked to the judge then back to the prosecuter. "I--I was scared and thought that I was safer there"
Lawyer: "And were you?"
Julie: "N--No. He showed up"
Lawyer: "Who is it you are speaking of?"
Julie: "M--My father" I was shaking didn't know if this was going to go well
Lawyer: "And what happened after that?"
Julie: "He started to beat me, he said he was going to make me pay for leaving him. Said that I cost him money."
Lawyer: "And what did he mean by that?"
Julie: "I...I" I didn't want to talk about this. I looked at my lawyer pleadingly.
Lawyer: "Miss St James. Please answer the question"
Julie: "He made me sleep with men and he got paid for it"
Lawyer: "What happened if you refused"
Julie: "There was no refusing sir. He would chain me to the bed and make me...the times that I wasn't he would let the men beat me" tears flowed down my face as I talked about this
Lawyer: "What happened when you tried to seek help from others?”
Julie: "H--" the lawyer gave me a look as if I needed to continue. I tried as best I could. "He killed one woman, and tried to kill Edward"
Lawyer: "Is that when Edward Lawrence was made your guardian and you were removed from the house and brought here?"
Julie: "No sir. I was not saved from my father until after he beat me nearly to death."
Lawyer: "Ok, we have covered what happened before you came to San Francisco, lets get back to what happened on the day in question. When your father arrived in your motel room.
Lawyer: He said you were going to pay...what happened after that?"
Julie: I looked down the tears now falling freely "He...he made me have sex with him then take a shower then he made me have sex with him again. Then he beat me. "
Lawyer: "What happened next?"
Julie: "He raised his gun to shoot me and somehow I got it from him and shot him. I was so scared and thought if I didn't do it he would kill me."
Lawyer: "Why did you run after that"
Julie: "Someone found me and took me back to the manor...to bandage me up"
Lawyer: "Alright. Thank you Miss St James"
Prosecutor has entered the room.
Prosecutor: I stood ready to cross examine "Now tell me Miss St James, did you ever tell your father no? Did you make it clear that you didn't wish to do what he asked of you"
Julie: "If you are talking about in Louisiana, I couldn't exactly make my own choices there. He started this when I was 6. When I got older and began to fight back he chained me up"
Prosecutor: "And why is it again that you didn't ask someone for help?"
Julie: I started to get upset and I could see that mom...actually both Piper mom and Mom mom were getting upset.
Julie: "I--I did ask for help…like I said before he killed one lady and tried to kill Edward, he had the police in his back pocket and who he couldn't buy with cash he bought with sex with me"
Prosecutor: "And do tell me, he allowed you out for school....why did you wait so long to run away and seek other help"
Julie: "Because every time I tried he found me and brought me back. He then would chain me up and pick his 'toy' of choice and beat me for hours with it. I would then miss school for the
Julie: next week, but I guess I could be thankful it wasn't always beatings. Sometimes he just withheld food from me. When he did let me eat he made me eat out of a dog bowl. Explain to me how I was supposed to fight him back."
Prosecutor: "Please calm down Miss St James"
Julie: I looked at him like he was insane. I am on trial for murder and he wants me to calm down.
Prosecutor: "Alright, you couldn't fight back and you couldn't run so you just submitted. What was different the day you did run?"
Julie: "I had actual help and a quick way here. A way that he couldn't stop me and kill me, or whoever helped me"
Prosecutor: "And who was it that facilitated your escape"
Julie: "The Halliwells, Willow and Edward"
It went on like this for a while. I truly thought it was never going to end. I just wanted to get this over with and move on, but this prosecutor was not letting up.
[[open for all there to all there for reactions]]
After the opening arguments that were brutal I was called to the stand and they began to question me. Just simple questions at first...I got comfortbale thinking that I wouldn't be attacked. Then it began. It pretty much went like every Law and Order episode that I was able to stomach.
Lawyer: "Miss St James please tell the court what you were doing in the motel room that day."
Julie: I looked to the judge then back to the prosecuter. "I--I was scared and thought that I was safer there"
Lawyer: "And were you?"
Julie: "N--No. He showed up"
Lawyer: "Who is it you are speaking of?"
Julie: "M--My father" I was shaking didn't know if this was going to go well
Lawyer: "And what happened after that?"
Julie: "He started to beat me, he said he was going to make me pay for leaving him. Said that I cost him money."
Lawyer: "And what did he mean by that?"
Julie: "I...I" I didn't want to talk about this. I looked at my lawyer pleadingly.
Lawyer: "Miss St James. Please answer the question"
Julie: "He made me sleep with men and he got paid for it"
Lawyer: "What happened if you refused"
Julie: "There was no refusing sir. He would chain me to the bed and make me...the times that I wasn't he would let the men beat me" tears flowed down my face as I talked about this
Lawyer: "What happened when you tried to seek help from others?”
Julie: "H--" the lawyer gave me a look as if I needed to continue. I tried as best I could. "He killed one woman, and tried to kill Edward"
Lawyer: "Is that when Edward Lawrence was made your guardian and you were removed from the house and brought here?"
Julie: "No sir. I was not saved from my father until after he beat me nearly to death."
Lawyer: "Ok, we have covered what happened before you came to San Francisco, lets get back to what happened on the day in question. When your father arrived in your motel room.
Lawyer: He said you were going to pay...what happened after that?"
Julie: I looked down the tears now falling freely "He...he made me have sex with him then take a shower then he made me have sex with him again. Then he beat me. "
Lawyer: "What happened next?"
Julie: "He raised his gun to shoot me and somehow I got it from him and shot him. I was so scared and thought if I didn't do it he would kill me."
Lawyer: "Why did you run after that"
Julie: "Someone found me and took me back to the manor...to bandage me up"
Lawyer: "Alright. Thank you Miss St James"
Prosecutor has entered the room.
Prosecutor: I stood ready to cross examine "Now tell me Miss St James, did you ever tell your father no? Did you make it clear that you didn't wish to do what he asked of you"
Julie: "If you are talking about in Louisiana, I couldn't exactly make my own choices there. He started this when I was 6. When I got older and began to fight back he chained me up"
Prosecutor: "And why is it again that you didn't ask someone for help?"
Julie: I started to get upset and I could see that mom...actually both Piper mom and Mom mom were getting upset.
Julie: "I--I did ask for help…like I said before he killed one lady and tried to kill Edward, he had the police in his back pocket and who he couldn't buy with cash he bought with sex with me"
Prosecutor: "And do tell me, he allowed you out for school....why did you wait so long to run away and seek other help"
Julie: "Because every time I tried he found me and brought me back. He then would chain me up and pick his 'toy' of choice and beat me for hours with it. I would then miss school for the
Julie: next week, but I guess I could be thankful it wasn't always beatings. Sometimes he just withheld food from me. When he did let me eat he made me eat out of a dog bowl. Explain to me how I was supposed to fight him back."
Prosecutor: "Please calm down Miss St James"
Julie: I looked at him like he was insane. I am on trial for murder and he wants me to calm down.
Prosecutor: "Alright, you couldn't fight back and you couldn't run so you just submitted. What was different the day you did run?"
Julie: "I had actual help and a quick way here. A way that he couldn't stop me and kill me, or whoever helped me"
Prosecutor: "And who was it that facilitated your escape"
Julie: "The Halliwells, Willow and Edward"
It went on like this for a while. I truly thought it was never going to end. I just wanted to get this over with and move on, but this prosecutor was not letting up.
[[open for all there to all there for reactions]]