Chapter 12 - ROBERT’S CASE
Robert’s criminal case took longer.
Digital evidence.
Witnesses.
Corporate records.
Defense motions.
The prosecution did not charge him with everything angry people online wanted.
Core charges:
Solicitation of child assault.
Conspiracy to commit child endangerment.
Evidence tampering related to disabling the laundry-room camera with deceptive instructions.
Attempted witness manipulation tied to planned narrative management.
One charge concerning the leaked video was dropped because prosecutors could not prove Robert personally directed the public release beyond reasonable doubt.
Good.
Precision.
At trial, Rebecca testified.
So did the security technician.
Harrison Cole.
Linda.
Me.
Lily did not testify live.
Her forensic interview was handled under child-witness rules where admissible.
Robert’s defense:
He wanted a minor confrontation, not injury.
Rebecca exceeded instructions.
His messages destroyed much of that.
Marks help credibility.
Hard enough that Daniel sees.
The prosecution did not claim he wanted Lily seriously injured.
He wanted visible harm.
That was enough.
Robert testified.
“Did you love your granddaughter?”
“Yes.”
“Then why use her?”
“I did not believe Rebecca would actually hit her hard.”
“Did you tell Rebecca visible marks would help?”
He paused.
“Yes.”
“Did you know Daniel would react strongly?”
“Yes.”
“Was that the purpose?”
Robert stared toward me.
Then:
“Yes.”
The word hurt more than I expected.
The jury convicted him on solicitation and conspiracy counts.
The tampering count related to camera work also resulted in conviction.
One witness-manipulation count ended in acquittal.
Sentence reflected:
Planning.
Use of a child.
No prior criminal record.
Age.
Lack of serious physical injury.
Custodial time.
Probation afterward.
No contact with Lily.
No corporate fiduciary role.
The last already came from company governance.
Separate systems.
At sentencing Robert said:
“I was trying to save what I built.”
The judge answered:
“You used a three-year-old child as a tool in a business dispute.”
May you like
Robert looked down.
That was the first time I saw him understand how small his empire sounded when described beside Lily’s age.
