Suddenly, the large doors slam open. The crowd gasped and jumped at the sudden intrusion. A caramel man, wearing a deep blue suit, jogged down the aisle. His gray hair bounced and swayed with each step the stranger took. He waved a small disk in his hands.

“Stop the trial!!” He exclaimed. “There is new evidence exonerating Mr. Shay!” The intruder claimed. Mr. Shay perked up, confused by the announcement.

Voices rose with shock, questioning the disk, the person, and the circumstances of revealing this evidence. The man finally reached the high bench. The judge looked down at the man with contempt. She hesitated to address the man or even acknowledge this “evidence” that has appeared. She just stared at the man.

He looked up. “Please Your Honor. You don’t want to send an innocent man to his death.” The stranger whispered.

The judge shifted her eyes from left to right and then faced the room. “In the light of this new evidence, I will allow the disk to play its content.” The audience shifted in their chairs. Their excitement was nothing if not apparent. Mr. Shay looked at the intruder in astonishment and confusion. He had never seen this man in his whole life. The man turned around and gave a slight wink at Mr. Shay. Gale further frowned at his newly found savior.

A monitor was rolled out to the front of the courtroom. The stranger inserted the disk and the whole room awaited for whatever was stored.

The video started out with a male teenager setting up the camera. He pointed the camera right at the river bank. The camera stabilized on a girl standing next to the river, tossing rocks into the moving water. Each stone doesn’t last more than two skips before sinking into the wet unknown. The boy joined the girl and told her the camera was ready. She jogged off screen and music started to play. She repositioned herself next to the boy. They counted off and started some synchronized dance.

“Let me just move forward towards the part of interest.” The stranger suggested.

Both figures speedily rehearsed their performance. No sound could be heard, but movements could clearly be seen. The sky transitioned from a bright shine to a muted balck. Suddenly, they looked over their shoulders with piqued interest. The stranger hurriedly resumed the disk at normal speed. The timing on the clock stated 10:32 pm. A loud pop could be heard off screen. Instantly, the girl ducked down in response. Both figures yelped in unison. Without thinking, the boy held her hand and dragged her away from the river bank, leaving the camera behind. Now, only darkness covered the screen with some light peeking through from behind the camera. Once the time changed to 10:33 pm, a large body floated into the screen. He was cloaked from head to toe and carried something in his arms. The figure could not be discerned, but the contents in his arms were. It was Odette’s body. Her long black hair hung over the sides of his arms. Her pink dress contrasted dramatically against the dark figure. Blood stains can already be seen from the film. The figure lowered himself and delicately placed Odette at the edge of the river bank. He smoothed out her hair out of her eyes. He briefly laid his hand on top of her head and seemed to murmur something to her. However, whatever he said was lost among the sounds of waves and trees bustling around. He shifted and reached into his long coat. He pulled out a knife and placed it neatly next to the child. He patted the knife and raised himself. He took one long look at his display and drifted off.

Odette’s body laid there, unmoved and untouched as the hours passed by. The couple did not yet return to retrieve the camera. No animals traversed about, as if they knew what laid on the ground. The stranger picked up the remote and sped through the last hour of the night. He stopped when the screen displayed 12:01 am. Twigs start to break in the background and soon enough we see a man approach the body. From the dark curls along, anyone could recognize this figure to be Mr. Gale Shay. The audience saw him approach the body and stare for a few moments. Gale breathed heavily and frequently as he looked over the body. He positioned himself over her and attempted to take her pulse. He shifted his hand from her neck to her wrist in hopes to find some faint heartbeat. His breaths started to stagger as he traced her outline with his eyes. He found the knife and grabbed it. He held it up to his eyes as if to understand what this foreign object was doing there. A scream pierced Gale’s trance as the couple approached him. The guy yelled at Gale to remain where he was. Gale looked at the boy with a blank stare, but followed his orders. The girl frantically called the police to come and apprehend Gale. Gale started to defend himself, but the disk abruptly stopped before any noise came out of Gale’s mouth.

The stranger turned off the screen and retrieved the disk. He turned back to the judge with a look of triumph splattered across his face. The judge creased her eyebrows at what she saw. “I request with the decision you make that Mr. Shay be released into my custody,” he snobbishly states as he confidently stares up at her.

Eyes shifted back onto the judge. Silence landed into the courtroom like an anvil onto an unsuspecting coyote. Confused couldn’t even describe the judge. She was dazed, divided, and unsure. Three emotions that could lead to a hasty and unpopular decision. However, what could she do? The video was solid evidence. She could delay the trial. Give herself some time to think. However, that could backfire. Headlines would question how a judge can be so incompetent on making an easy decision. No argument or debate could change the events played on the screen. The intruder crossed his arms and started to tap with his finger. She cleared her throat. There was only one thing she could do. She stood up once again. The camera flashes blinded the room seconds at a time. She prayed for strength as the words left her mouth.

“In light of this new evidence, I decided to exonerate Mr. Shay from the charges of the trial.” A cacophony of gasps, clicks, and murmurs deafened the room. “I order that he is immediately released into the custody of this man right here.” Her voice bellowed out above the noise.

She struck her gavel hard against the wood. Protests started abruptly, spilling anger out into the room. Demands of a retrial were all lost on Mr. Shay, who only heard a strong ringing in his ears. The guards released the cuffs from his hands. The stranger approached Gale and reached out his hand. Dazed and distracted, Gale took his hand and stood up. He followed his savior out of the courtroom. Fists, lenses, spit, and insults all landed onto Gale’s face as he strolled to his freedom. However, nothing fazed Gale. His mind was running amuck. Nothing made sense to Gale: the stranger, the video, or even the verdict.

The only thing Gale knew was that he was guilty. He killed Odette Bonilla. He remembered it all clearly. Her blood beautifully spilled out her body. His amazement at the slow draining of life depicted by her eyes. He smiled softly at the memories. A profanity snapped him out. He frowned at his predicament. He didn’t think he was going to get away with it, even with his innocent plea. He was caught red handed. But, here he is. A free man. A man who deserved nothing more than to be rotting in a prison cell. He stared at the back of his savior's head. Instead, something or, at least, someone has prevented such a fate. The questions here now lie: how and why?

Gale stared at his palms. He chuckled to himself. He stared right up to the crowd and stood up. “Thank you, Your Honor.” He bows his head a little in her direction. His voice boomed as he continued. “Now, what you have described was eerily accurate. However, it is not the whole story. The goons who called themselves the police did catch me in the most peculiar situation, but I can assure you that I did not kill Ms. Odette.” A few scattered scoffs were heard. Gale ignored the sounds and moved on.

“I did find Ms. Odette’s body that day. When I spotted her from the bridge, I rushed in to aid her. Her pink dress stuck out against the dirt, so she was easy to spot. However, I found her in the very same state as when the police found her. The knife laid right next to her body. I picked it up to examine it. The shock hindered me from connecting the dots as quickly as the detectives did. Next thing I knew, a couple screamed at me, some words, but mostly just noise. By the time I completely understood the predicament I was in, I was caught, handcuffed, and stuffed into a jail cell. That is my story.” He shrugged and sat right back down.

The crowd remained silent, dumbfounded at the confidence of Gale’s speech. The judge looked at him and then turned back to the room. “Well, thank you for your defence Mr. Shay. Mr. Calvert, your remarks.” She gestured at a middle aged man, sitting in the front row. His gray suit almost camouflaged him with the crowd if it wasn’t for his fire red hair to help him stand out. He glided over to the high bench. He took his bow and began to talk.

“Thank you, Your Honor. Today, I come here to state that Mr. Shay is guilty of the charged crime. As Mr. Shay kindly admitted, he was on the scene of the crime. He was over the body with the weapon in his hand. How did he get into that position? Of course, any civilian will run towards the body to understand what has occurred. However, Mr. Shay was not found near the body. He was found over the body. He wasn’t found trying to contact the police or call for help. He was found with a weapon in his hand, finishing the job he had started. The actions of Mr. Shay explain themselves. He is guilty of the murder of Odette Bonilla. That is all Your Honor.” Mr. Calvert took another bow and sat back down.

The judge nods at Mr. Calvert. “Thank you for the counter argument. Now, the state will call on the various witnesses to elaborate the circumstances surrounding this case.”

Fourteen witnesses were called for the case. The flutters of cameras and their flashes trickled around throughout the trial. Each with their own variation on the events that occurred at the river bank. However, they all ended with the same conclusion. Gale was guilty of the murder and his fate was sealed the moment the police caught him. Realizing this, Gale became more and more fidgety in his seat. He started to rub his handcuffs together, abrasining his skin underneath. Once the last witness was done giving her story, the judge raised up from her chair. The shutters of the cameras increased drastically, capturing the final moments of Mr. Shay and the trial.

“The court has listened and the court has decided.” The judge stood there, tall, soaking in the pressure, tension, and excitement radiating throughout the room. Chairs creaked as people leaned in, anticipating the judge’s next words. Mr. Shay held his breath and remained still in his seat. She used these final seconds to mull over her thoughts and prepare their execution. “The state hereby declares that Mr. Shay is --”

Large doors open to a courtroom just beyond. Each side is filled with masses mummering about. However, these whispers were hard to discern over the clicks and clacks of cameras dispersed around the room. Random flashes pointed towards the opened doors. Two guards, cloaked in all-black uniforms, dragged a feeble prisoner. The prisoner was merely covered by a torned, faded shirt hanging low on his chest. His pants, ill-fitted as most prisoner uniforms are, were barely held up by the rope tied around his waist. The room fell silent once the guards entered. The stomps echoed in the room while the prisoner’s feet were dragged along the ground. The prisoner refused to look up, only gazing at the wooden boards below. Dark curls shielded his eyes. Waves of tension crashed through each row as the guards made their way to the front. The guards stopped in front of the high bench and bow. The prisoner finally held his head up to catch the glimpse of the gavel of justice. A judge sat at the center. Her face, stone cold. Any emotions could not be perceived from her icy exteriner. Her dark, brunette hair was tied up into a neat bun with a couple of strands floating right above her forehead. Her hands rested right underneath her chin. Her dark pooled eyes pierced through the prisoner. The prisoner flashed a side grin right up to her. She scowled in response and shooed away the culprit. The guards erected themselves and shoved their capture towards the side desk at the right of the high bench. The guards pushed him into the chair and shackled him onto the metal bar right in front of him. The prisoner finally looked out into the crowd. Flashes continued to blink in and out of existence. However, in between the lights, he saw his audience. They sat there, staring at him, some in awe, some in disgust, but all filled with anticipation of what his fate could be. Then, the gavel struck down. The heads turned towards the sound. The judge stood up. She adjusted her cloak and looked out to the room.

“We are gathered here today to determine the case of Gale Shay.” She gestured towards her left. “Here, we have an abhorrent man. He is charged with second degree murder. The victim was a 12 year-old girl named Odette Bonilla. Her body was found at the river bank with Mr. Shay right over her body at 12:48 am. He was caught with a blood-covered knife in his hand. Odette died through blood loss with the multiple stab wounds along her torso.” The crowd winced at the description of the case. The judge swallowed heavily and continued.

“What will be decided of him will be determined by me after I hear the cases from both sides. Mr. Shay has decided to represent himself and defend his innocence.” The judge turned to face him. “You are up first Mr. Shay.” The judge sat back down, awaiting for his opening remarks.