Chapter 14 - THE FATHER-IN-LAW CORRECTS HIS STATEMENT
My father’s first police statement was bad.
He said:
“I saw Natalie lose balance after Ryan reached toward her.”
Not:
Ryan shoved.
He claimed he did not see clear contact.
Maybe.
His angle was behind a column.
The video showed he was nearby but not what his eyes captured.
Then he said:
“She had been emotional throughout the day.”
False implication.
He had not spoken with her for twenty minutes before the fall.
His attorney advised him to correct anything he could not support.
He gave a second statement.
“I had prior discussions with Ryan about recording Natalie during disagreements. I had told him earlier that day I thought Daniel should be shown how conflict developed. I did not instruct Ryan to physically contact Natalie. I did not see the exact instant his hands struck her back.”
Better.
Then the line I cared about.
Why did he immediately say:
“She tripped”?
Dad answered:
“Because I did not want to believe Ryan had pushed a pregnant woman.”
That was honest.
Cowardly.
Human.
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He had chosen the version easiest for him before asking whether it was true.
The family had been doing that with Natalie for months.
