For the Defense || Jennifer and Matt
“At 2:31 last Saturday morning, Melvin Potter, also known to the public as the Gladiator, broke into the vaults at the Bank of America located at 49th Street and 8th Avenue,” Matt read aloud from a police report, the tips of his fingers running across the braille on the page as he did so, “and stole $53,000.00 in cash. By 3:00 AM, five patrol cars were in pursuit of a black 2013 Ford F-150 that had fled the scene of the crime. The chase ended at the Spotlight Costume Shop at 43rd and 9th where, upon exiting the vehicle, Melvin Potter was arrested at 3:12 AM.”
“The vehicle was thoroughly searched, but none of the stolen money was found.” Matt concluded, setting the paper down on the desk and directing his attention towards Jennifer Walters who was sitting at the opposite side. “The police report has some holes in it, of course – it doesn’t include the part where Melvin Potter didn’t rob the bank.”
“Potter claims he’s innocent, and I believe him – he’s reformed. He hasn’t been the Gladiator in years, and robbing banks was never his style. I’ve talked to the prosecutor and a plea deal is completely off the table. The only way Potter is getting off is if we can convince the jury that he’s innocent beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Matt gently nudged the neatly stacked pile of files towards Jen, inviting her to freely examine the papers – atop the hoard laid the profiles of the twelve jurors and the six alternates that had been selected for the trial. Notes had been typed out on each person, printed out in a clear text font with a protruding braille overlay to ensure that complete legibility was possible for both Jen and Matt.
“The jury’s been picked and it’s a decent group – ideally, I would have preferred people who are unaware of Potter’s… association with the superhero community, but with the way the media’s covered everything, this is the best we could get. At least none of them have had a direct encounter with the Gladiator.”
Matt leant forward in his desk chair, resting his elbows atop the desk as his tone of voice changed from professional to more casual. “I’ve brought you in on this because you’re good with juries, you’re trustworthy and command a certain amount of respect in a courtroom – I garner sympathy, but people actually listen to you. This is going to be a tough case, and I need your help, Jen.”
“So how would you like to get back into a courtroom?”