Chapter 165: Trial (Part 1)

[Chapter 165: Trial (Part 1)]

On this day, the entrance of a Los Angeles courthouse was crowded with reporters from all corners.

A black Rolls Royce pulled up to the courthouse, and Ian stepped out, adjusting his collar.

Reporters surged around him, thrusting microphones in his direction:

"Mr. Carr, did you personally participate in the Bloods gang's downfall?"

"Did you kill dozens of Bloods gang members with your own hands?"

"There's been word that you even coerced Jessica and the others into committing murder?"

"Mr. Carr, you were involved in the hotel shooting where you killed four armed men and then shot two more trying to rob you. Do you think your heart is filled with a desire for violence and bloodshed?"

"Mr. Carr, do you feel that being a killer makes you better than being a reporter or a business owner?"

Faced with the barrage of sharp questions from the media, Ian smiled and said, "This is an open hearing, and you can catch all the details on CBS's exclusive report."

Damn!

All the reporters cursed inwardly.

...

With his secretary and assistant at his side, Ian strode into the courthouse.

This was not Ian's first time in court -- he had been there after the shooting as well -- but that time the evidence was undeniable, and there wasn't much room for discussion. The incident was quickly classified as Ian Carr acting in self-defense.

But this time was different.

There were accusations against him for murder, and even claims that he had forced Jessica and others to shoot the gang members.

This was quite troublesome!

But Ian didn't care, or rather, after the incident, he spent most of his time comforting Jessica and others assuring them everything would be alright.

As he entered the courtroom and took his place at the defendant's stand, he went through the routine and swore that everything he was about to say was the truth in front of God, followed by the prosecution lawyer's statement.

...

The prosecutor declared loudly, "I request to summon witness Eastbrook."

Soon, a young Black man appeared in the witness stand, sporting a nose ring and dressed in bright colors, but his eyes displayed fear.

Clearly, he was regretting his choices and was frightened!

The prosecutor began his questioning, "Mr. Eastbrook, what were your responsibilities within the gang?"

The defense lawyer interjected, "Objection! The gang is just a colloquial term and not a registered organization. We can't define a target based on an uncertain group."

The judge nodded, "Prosecution, do not mislead the witness."

The prosecution shrugged, "Mr. Eastbrook, can you tell me what your job is?"

The young man replied, "I don't have a job. I work for Mr. Crips; he gives us some perks."

"What exactly do you do?"

"Fight, collect protection money -- that's about it."

"Nothing more?"

The young man raised his hands in a gesture of indifference, "That doesn't concern me; I just do menial tasks."

"Then tell us what you saw on the night of June 12th."

The young man skillfully recounted, "That night, Mr. Crips ordered me and some others to go to Aikman Street."

"What were you doing there?"

"Collecting bodies and following a person's orders."

"Is that person present in the courtroom now?"

"Yes."

"Can you identify them?"

The young man looked at Ian, pointing at him, "It's him."

The audience gasped.

In a way, this implied that Ian Carr had close ties with the gang.

Ian smiled.

The prosecution continued, "Tell us what you witnessed."

The young man said, "I didn't actually see Ian Carr kill anyone. We were all outside waiting, then we heard gunshots. After that, it was Phil Leyso who told us we could go in. When we entered, we saw bodies everywhere. A girl ran out from the crazy Jett's room, and we shoved her back..."

The young man stammered as he recounted, while in the audience, Crips gritted his teeth in anger.

Bastard!

Bastard!

I will rip you apart!

I took ten lashes for this!

After hearing the testimony about Ian forcing five girls to shoot the Bloods gang members, the audience turned their gazes back to Ian, who still smiled.

The prosecution lawyer remarked, "So you saw Officer Katherine tied up?"

"Yes."

The prosecution raised his voice to the judge, "As we've heard, the situation was clearly not how Ian Carr described in his newspaper. The supposed Officer Katherine went in alone to take out Bloods and save those girls -- that's impossible because she was tied up! All of this was done by Ian Carr, and he had no authority to act! This was a massacre! Ian Carr engaged in bloody killings for his exclusive story! He even forced five innocent girls to commit murder!"

As he spoke, he returned to his seat.

Ian's defense attorney stepped forward, "I request to summon Officer Katherine."

As she was summoned, Katherine appeared in the witness stand.

The defense attorney asked, "Officer Katherine, how did you handle the Bloods gang members?"

Katherine replied, "With a gun."

A ripple of low laughter erupted from the audience.

The defense lawyer chuckled, "Were you captured by Bloods?"

Katherine glanced at Ian; he flashed a confident smile.

Katherine took a deep breath: "No, I wasn't."

The defense lawyer responded, "But someone saw you captured by the madman, Jett."

Katherine shook her head, "If that were the case, I would have ended up like Jessica and the others, sold off to some wealthy men. I have some confidence in my looks."

The audience erupted in laughter again.

The defense lawyer continued, "They say it was Ian Carr who did the killings."

Katherine shot Ian a look, sneering, "His shooting skills are only good for picking on small fries; he's not capable. Moreover, he is a reporter; he focuses on taking pictures, not killing."

For a moment, Katherine genuinely didn't want to exonerate Ian, but she had no choice.

If she admitted to everything, she would be tainted too.

In light of her own interests, Katherine could not bring herself to go that far.

...

After Katherine's testimony came Jessica and the others, who all denied everything, claiming they hadn't encountered those situations.

Next up was Ian himself to be questioned.

...

The prosecution lawyer stood before Ian Carr, holding up a huge article from the Los Angeles Herald, confronted Ian, "Mr. Carr, how did you know there would be a shootout that night?"

Ian smiled, "It's Butterfly who knew, not me."

"He's already dead."

Ian shrugged, "That is indeed a tragedy; I lost my best reporter."

Laughter erupted in the audience once more.

The prosecution lawyer glared at Ian, "But Mr. Carr, don't you think it's too coincidental? The elimination of the Bates Killers gang also made headlines thanks to Butterfly. You always seem to be on the scene for these large-scale gang fights."

Ian Carr raised an eyebrow, "Coincidence? No, the world has no coincidences, only tireless dedication and life-risking struggles. Phil Leyso is the best reporter; he fearlessly stands on the front lines to uncover the truth of the world. There are no coincidences; only hard work and the dedication of a professional journalist. That's the Los Angeles Herald, where each of our reporters possess a spirit of involvement that is more courageous than soldiers..."

"Enough, this isn't the place for your advertising!" The prosecution lawyer was left speechless.

Have some decency!

He glared at Ian, "Eastbrook saw you force five girls to kill those guys!"

Ian Carr smiled, "I heard that, but unfortunately, he's lying. In fact..."

He paused and looked at the judge, "Your Honor, I would like to speak directly to Eastbrook; I will prove he is lying."

*****

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