God.
I think myself to be a hard person, that if someone does me wrong once I won't let myself be made a fool and allow them a chance to hurt me another time. In September we began trial on the state's case against Charles Orlando Williams for assault with a deadly weapon and armed robbery. It had been more than a year since the incident, I wasn't angry, I wasn't scared anymore, I at that point was desensitized to the idea that it had happened to me. I knew my story and I was prepared to share it on the witness stand. I went over my account in my head of how the man was unkempt and mush mouthed and seemed to be on drugs and uncivilized. I sat in the court room and watched the man who had once put my life in danger walk freely into the courtroom, sit down, put on a pair of glasses and begin to read a document. I burst into tears. I wasn't sure why, it was forever ago that it happened, I felt "I should be over it by now!" I think the shock of seeing him for the first time since that day was more than I had expected. I definitely did not expect him to be able to read, the whole time I hadn't thought of him as a real person. Well the trial was delayed, they sent us home and told us we'd reschedule for a later date.
October 31st we went back. We had a pre-trial hearing, which means all the witnesses, police involved, etc gave their testimonies for the judge. This time I wasn't going to look at the man, but that plan was shot when on the witness stand I was asked to point out the man accused of the crimes. I pointed at him as he glared at me and shook his head. The district attorney asked me a number of questions, all ones that we had gone over several times throughout the month over the phone and in his office. Then the defense had their turn with me. I knew it was her job to discourage me and confuse me to make me seem inconsistent and that my account was not sufficient, but I didn't think it'd be so intense. She did confuse me, she did frustrate me, I cried, it wasn't fair that it felt like I was being on trial! We recessed and when we returned, some legal complications forced the defendant to get a new lawyer, the trial was to be delayed again.
Finally, a third time, on November 28th I sat through hours of jury selection until the defense was satisfied with a jury of 12 lower class individuals hoping they'd identify more with Charles Orlando Williams, "a poor soul who was being wrongly accused and doomed for prison because there was no way he could get a fair trial, who wouldn't take the side of a little girl victim who cries on the stand?" Well I sat through that jury selection, I heard answers to personal questions about each member of the jury and knew that more than half of the jury had a son/nephew also being incarcerated for crimes they were "wrongly accused of." I knew that it was most likely that Charles Orlando Williams would be getting away with this. The case was recessed until this morning. An officer involved in the case walked me to my car, he agreed that it looked like he would get away with it, but that Charles Orlando Williams had a death sentence of his own, that even if he is found innocent that he will not be getting away with it. He tested HIV positive more than a year ago, even in the time I've shared with him I've noticed his increasing frailness. This morning the trial was continued. The jury was sent to a room to make a decision, they took hours. We were all called back in, I sat in the back row and had a view of Williams' mother and father and him. The jury gave their verdict. Guilty. The bailiff cuffed him. I CRIED!!!! I cried and I left the court room. I was followed by three lawyers including the district attorney, they were concerned I didn't understand what happened, they thought maybe I was confused, that I didn't know that I had "won". I felt terrible for him. I didn't stay for his sentencing, but the minimum he could get was 71 months (about 6 years) and I knew he would not live that long and that he'd die in prison. The whole thing was really pathetic. I couldn't stand it. Walking to my car I saw a black woman hurrying toward me, it was Williams' cousin who had called crime stoppers to turn him in when she saw me on the news. She was late and saw me crying, I'm sure she assumed that he had been let go. She asked me what happened and I told her that he was found guilty. She began to tear and I asked her to tell him that I was sorry, sorry that he is sick. She hugged me and ran to try to see him before they took him away.
He is a real person, a sad person, and I sympathize with him. I wish that I did not have to be involved in this, not because I was a victim, but because today broke my heart. I feel like I watched someone die today. Right infront of me and his family. Maybe I do believe in second, third, thirtieth chances.
edit: I don't think I would've been as empathetic if I hadn't watched the musical Rent the night before the trial.
Charles Orlando Williams and Tavoris Marquoise Potts.
edit: i recieved a call from a lawyer telling me that charles williams is sentenced to 12 years in prison.
October 31st we went back. We had a pre-trial hearing, which means all the witnesses, police involved, etc gave their testimonies for the judge. This time I wasn't going to look at the man, but that plan was shot when on the witness stand I was asked to point out the man accused of the crimes. I pointed at him as he glared at me and shook his head. The district attorney asked me a number of questions, all ones that we had gone over several times throughout the month over the phone and in his office. Then the defense had their turn with me. I knew it was her job to discourage me and confuse me to make me seem inconsistent and that my account was not sufficient, but I didn't think it'd be so intense. She did confuse me, she did frustrate me, I cried, it wasn't fair that it felt like I was being on trial! We recessed and when we returned, some legal complications forced the defendant to get a new lawyer, the trial was to be delayed again.
Finally, a third time, on November 28th I sat through hours of jury selection until the defense was satisfied with a jury of 12 lower class individuals hoping they'd identify more with Charles Orlando Williams, "a poor soul who was being wrongly accused and doomed for prison because there was no way he could get a fair trial, who wouldn't take the side of a little girl victim who cries on the stand?" Well I sat through that jury selection, I heard answers to personal questions about each member of the jury and knew that more than half of the jury had a son/nephew also being incarcerated for crimes they were "wrongly accused of." I knew that it was most likely that Charles Orlando Williams would be getting away with this. The case was recessed until this morning. An officer involved in the case walked me to my car, he agreed that it looked like he would get away with it, but that Charles Orlando Williams had a death sentence of his own, that even if he is found innocent that he will not be getting away with it. He tested HIV positive more than a year ago, even in the time I've shared with him I've noticed his increasing frailness. This morning the trial was continued. The jury was sent to a room to make a decision, they took hours. We were all called back in, I sat in the back row and had a view of Williams' mother and father and him. The jury gave their verdict. Guilty. The bailiff cuffed him. I CRIED!!!! I cried and I left the court room. I was followed by three lawyers including the district attorney, they were concerned I didn't understand what happened, they thought maybe I was confused, that I didn't know that I had "won". I felt terrible for him. I didn't stay for his sentencing, but the minimum he could get was 71 months (about 6 years) and I knew he would not live that long and that he'd die in prison. The whole thing was really pathetic. I couldn't stand it. Walking to my car I saw a black woman hurrying toward me, it was Williams' cousin who had called crime stoppers to turn him in when she saw me on the news. She was late and saw me crying, I'm sure she assumed that he had been let go. She asked me what happened and I told her that he was found guilty. She began to tear and I asked her to tell him that I was sorry, sorry that he is sick. She hugged me and ran to try to see him before they took him away.
He is a real person, a sad person, and I sympathize with him. I wish that I did not have to be involved in this, not because I was a victim, but because today broke my heart. I feel like I watched someone die today. Right infront of me and his family. Maybe I do believe in second, third, thirtieth chances.
edit: I don't think I would've been as empathetic if I hadn't watched the musical Rent the night before the trial.
Charles Orlando Williams and Tavoris Marquoise Potts.
edit: i recieved a call from a lawyer telling me that charles williams is sentenced to 12 years in prison.