Chapter 14 - The Plea
Ramona pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery.
No trial.
Her lawyer explained that contesting whether hair counted as physical contact would prolong the case and put Dulcie/Nell into more conflict.
Ramona chose plea.
Sentencing factors:
No prior record.
No physical skin injury.
Significant emotional harm.
Deliberate planning.
Victim was child.
Acceptance.
Parenting treatment underway.
Sentence:
Eighteen months probation.
Forty hours community service.
Continued parenting/individual therapy.
No unsupervised contact with Nell unless I and Benedict consented consistent with Nell’s therapist.
No use of Nell’s image or likeness.
No scissors/hair-related restriction generally because that would be silly; the order focused on contact and consent.
A short suspended jail term.
No actual incarceration.
Proportional.
At sentencing, Ramona spoke.
I attended.
Nell did not.
“I cut my niece’s hair because I was jealous of attention given to a child.”
There.
No euphemism.
“I told myself I was protecting my daughter from comparison.”
She swallowed.
“I was actually teaching both girls that appearance determines who deserves to be noticed.”
Good.
Then:
“I used Dulcie’s modeling as proof that she was special.”
Her voice broke.
“She already was.”
Then:
“I used Nell’s hair as though it were an object I could remove to make things equal.”
Silence.
“It belonged to Nell.”
Good.
Then my kick.
The judge noted there had been violence from me too, separately resolved.
No one made Ramona’s guilt dependent on mine.
After court, Ramona did not approach me.
Her lawyer had advised.
She sent one sentence through Benedict later:
May you like
I understand why Nell is not here.
That was the right thing.
