Chapter 12 - JESSICA’S TRIAL
Jessica insisted the shrimp was a joke.
Until the video played.
She turned toward Megan.
Looked.
Adjusted her grip.
Threw.
No stumble.
No slip.
The prosecutor kept the case small.
Two misdemeanor assault counts.
One for each child.
No burn.
No physical injury.
Intentional offensive contact and emotional humiliation.
Jessica’s lawyer argued food fights happen at family gatherings.
The judge asked:
“Was this a food fight?”
No.
The girls were three and four.
They did not throw anything.
The trial lasted two days.
Jessica testified.
“Why did you throw the platter?”
“I was frustrated.”
“With whom?”
“Emily.”
“Why strike the children?”
“I didn’t intend to strike them.”
Video made that difficult.
Then:
“Why laugh?”
Jessica’s face hardened.
“I was trying to make it less serious.”
There.
Humiliation disguised as humor.
She was convicted.
Sentence:
Short custodial term suspended in part.
Probation.
Community service.
No-contact with Olivia and Megan during the initial term.
Treatment requirements.
No fiduciary roles.
No dramatic prison lifetime.
Age.
No prior conviction.
Minor physical harm.
Intent mattered.
At sentencing I said:
“Megan spent weeks asking whether she was allowed to eat because an adult used food to tell her she was beneath the table.”
That was all.
Jessica looked at me.
For once, no sneer.
Later she wrote a letter.
May you like
I did not read it yet.
The children certainly did not.
