Chapter 6 - The Trial of Blackwood Ridge
Two months later, the trial convened in the federal courthouse in the state capital, far removed from the corrupted influence of Blackwood Ridge. The courtroom was packed to capacity with journalists, legal experts, and citizens who had followed the story from the beginning.
The prosecution’s defense team tried every trick in the book. They hired high-priced expert witnesses to claim the video footage was an artificial intelligence fabrication created to destroy the Higgins reputation. They attempted to paint me as an unhinged military veteran seeking financial revenge against a wealthy family.
Then, the prosecution called their key witness: sixteen-year-old Paige.
Dressed in a simple navy blue dress, Paige took the witness stand. Despite the furious glares from Ellis and Cheyenne Higgins sitting at the defense table, she stood tall. She detailed how she had hidden on the second-floor balcony, holding her breath while recording the assault on her phone, terrified that her uncles would catch her.
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Next, the prosecution called military cyber-forensic analysts, who presented irrefutable proof that the video’s digital signature, camera metadata, and ambient sound waves were 100% authentic and untouched.
When the prosecutor played the video on the large courtroom screens—showing Luke swinging the heavy metal tool while Dahlia slowly pulled the curtain closed—several jurors wept open-mouthed. Dahlia lowered her head, unable to face the image of her own cowardice.
