Chapter 11 - The Pre-Trial Motion
Six months after the arrest,
the pitkin County Courthouse in Aspen was surrounded by media vans,
satellite dishes,
and hundreds of spectators eager to catch a glimpse of the infamous "Mountain Blizzard Killer" and his mastermind mother.
I walked up the marble steps of the courthouse flanked by Marcus and two private security guards hired to protect us from the surging crowd of reporters thrusting microphones into my face.
"Rachel!
Do you think Mason deserves the death penalty?"
a reporter screamed from behind the barricades.
"Rachel!
How is little Lily doing?"
another shouted.
I kept my eyes fixed straight ahead,
my posture tall,
my jaw set with absolute resolve.
Inside the courtroom,
the air was tense and frigid.
When Mason was led in by three armed bailiffs,
dressed in a dark green prison jumpsuit with heavy chains around his waist and ankles,
a quiet murmur ran through the gallery.
He had lost weight;
his cheeks were sunken,
his once-impeccable hair shaved close to his scalp,
and his eyes darted nervously around the room like a trapped animal.
Behind him sat Eleanor,
wearing a dull grey jumpsuit,
her hands trembling violently as her legal aid whispered in her ear.
Mason glanced toward the front row where I sat.
For a second,
our eyes met.
There was no arrogance left in his gaze,
no charming smile,
no condescending smirk.
Only a deep,
hollow pit of panic and bitter resentment.
The judge,
a stern woman named Honorable Sarah Jenkins,
slammed her gavel down,
instantly restoring absolute silence to the packed courtroom.
"We are here today for pre-trial motions in the case of the People of Colorado versus Mason Vance and Eleanor Vance,
"
Judge Jenkins announced.
"Defense counsel,
you have submitted a motion to dismiss the attempted murder charges based on lack of direct physical evidence.
"
"State your argument.
"
Mason's lead public defender,
a weary man named Mr.
Albright,
stood up.
"Your Honor,
my client admits to a terrible lapse in judgment regarding leaving his vehicle during a storm,
"
Albright argued.
"However,
there is no direct evidence that he intentionally disabled the heating system or locked the doors with the intent to cause death.
"
"It was a panicking reaction to an extreme weather emergency—"
"That is complete absurd nonsense,
Your Honor,
"
the lead prosecutor,
District Attorney David Vance ,
interrupted,
rising to his feet with absolute authority.
"We have submitted verified black box data from Mr.
Vance's vehicle showing manual override commands sent to the heating unit six minutes before the vehicle came to a stop.
"
"Furthermore,
we have sworn affidavits from forensic mechanics proving the interior door latches were mechanically altered prior to the trip.
"
"And finally,
"
Prosecutor Vance added,
pointing dramatically toward Mason,
"we have newly unsealed federal indictments charging both defendants with four counts of murder-for-hire across three state jurisdictions!"
Judge Jenkins leaned forward,
glaring down at the defense team with sharp contempt.
"Motion to dismiss is denied in its entirety,
"
Judge Jenkins declared,
her gavel striking the wooden block with a loud BANG.
"Furthermore,
in light of the federal charges and the extreme flight risk,
bail for both defendants is permanently revoked.
"
"This court will not allow monsters to walk free among us.
"
Mason slumped back into his chair,
burying his face in his chained hands as his mother began to weep quietly beside him.
I sat in the front row,
holding my breath,
May you like
knowing that the legal battle had just scored its first decisive victory,
and the trap was finally closing around them forever.
