Chapter 278
The case continued and more evidence was presented in the courtroom.
The drone footage provided by the boy not only proved the accusations of domestic violence but also captured the moment when Ivan had choked Jessica and pushed her off the building.
Naomi’s prediction on Ivan’s abuse toward Jessica and her efforts to avoid his
attacks were accurate.
The irrefutable evidence of Ivan pushing Jessica down left him absolutely stunned.
He was no longer the haughty man from earlier. All his hopes and plans were dashed. He could no longer leech off Simone and was now facing the prospect of
spending the rest of his life in jail.
After the footage ended, the presiding judge turned to Nicholas and asked, “Does the
defendant’s attorney have anything else to say?”
Nicholas shook his head. “No, Your Honor.”
The judge then turned to Ivan and asked, “Defendant, do you have anything else to
say?”
Ivan was still staring at the projector that Naomi had used to present the evidence.
How could this be? How had she obtained the evidence? Who was using the drone
to spy on him?
Ivan thought that as long as he prevented Naomi from entering his house and
accessing the surveillance footage, no one would ever know about his abuse toward
Jessica.
However, he’d never anticipated that Naomi would be able to obtain such
incriminating evidence. Someone had managed to capture the moment he had
pushed Jessica down.
Justice would always prevail.
The judge repeated his question to Ivan when he observed the latter shaking his
head while still fixated on the projector. However, Ivan continued to remain silent.
After a brief exchange with the other two judges, the presiding judge pronounced Ivan guilty.
“According to Article 232 of the Criminal Law, the defendant, Ivan Reyes, has been found guilty of intentional homicide. He shall be sentenced to 25 years in prison, with deprivation of political rights for 15 years.
“According to Article 234 of the Criminal Law, the defendant, Ivan Reyes, is guilty of intentional assault. He shall be sentenced to 3 years in prison. He shall serve a total of 28 years in prison, with deprivation of political rights for 15 years.”
At 28 years old, Ivan’s fate had been sealed with a 28–year sentence. Not only was he unable to leech off wealthy women, but he would likely spend the rest of his days behind bars.
When the verdict of Ivan’s guilt for both intentional murder and assault was
delivered, Melanie burst into tears.
Although Ivan was brought to justice, she wished Jessica had never crossed paths with the scumbag and endured all the suffering.
Naomi wiped the tears off Melanie’s face and gently patted her shoulder, allowing
Melanie to lean on her as she cried.
Naomi and Melanie had decided not to let Marshall and Kelly attend the trial, fearing
they could not handle the evidence presented.
However, the elderly couple had insisted on being there to witness Ivan’s defeat and
his subsequent guilty verdict.
Unfortunately, they were unable to stay until the verdict was read since Kelly had to
be sent to the hospital.
Naomi could empathize with Melanie’s current state of mind. After all, she herself had trembled with anger when she’d first seen the evidence.
Given that Jessica was her sister, Melanie must be feeling even more distraught.
“Thank you, Naomi.” Melanie choked out in between sobs. Naomi gave her a
reassuring pat on the back and offered solace.
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Once Melanie calmed down slightly, Naomi drove her to the hospital before returning to the firm.
“Congratulations, Naomi! You won again.‘
“Way to go, Naomi!”
Despite her colleagues‘ praise, Naomi couldn’t find any joy. She hoped for fewer such occurrences in society and that women would not be victims.
After spending all afternoon sorting through the case files at the firm, Naomi drove to the hospital in the evening.
Kelly had regained consciousness. Upon seeing Naomi’s arrival, the Colemans immediately expressed their gratitude. “Thank you, Naomi.”