Chapter 25
We the Jury...
D-day in the Elliot Ravenwood trial proved to be an even bigger media circus than when the trial began. All of the big name reporters were present to report the final outcome, and all tried, to no avail, to elicit a comment from Elijah or Elliot on their way up the stairs to the courthouse. It didn't hurt that Elijah could give the excuse that it was -34 degrees Celsius and that they for one wanted to get into the warmth of the University Ave. Court Building.
As Elijah had told Elliot, a verdict proceeding is usually very quick. The verdict is read and the jury is polled, and should he be found guilty, a sentencing hearing would be set. Once inside the room, the case proceeded just as expected. Justice Richardson entered the chamber and the clerk called the court to order.
"I understand the jury has reached a unanimous verdict," Justice Richardson stated.
"We have Your Honor," the jury foreman said.
"I would ask the accused to rise, as the foreman reads the verdict." Elijah and Elliot stood up and faced the jury.
"We the jury, in the case of the Crown v. Elliot Ravenwood, find the accused 'Not Guilty' of the crime of Murder in the 1st Degree."
After the verdict was read, Elliot obviously relieved broke down into tears as did his wife in the gallery. It was finally over! Six months of uncertainty was brought to an end and Elliot would get the chance to begin his life again without a cloud over his head. After composing himself, Elliot turned to an elated Elijah and gave a thumbs up, showing the gratitude for the long hours spent in preparing and executing his defense.
There was though, one last piece of business to conduct before the trial would be adjourned.
"Does the crown wish to have the jury polled?"
"We do Your Honor," Samantha said.
Each juror was then asked whether or not the verdict rendered reflected their vote. Each of the 12 jurors answered in the affirmative, which effectively ended the case.
Justice Richardson then presented her final remarks.
"With a verdict of 'Not Guilty' entered into the record, I wish to thank the jury for their service and to all those who participated in this trial for their long hours of work in preparing this case. I do hereby order that the jury be dismissed, the accused be released without any conditions on his movements, and bail be returned. This court is now adjourned."
With that, the bailiff opened the door to the box and Elliot Ravenwood walked out for the first time in six months, a free man. After shaking hands with Becca and Elijah, Elliot assured them that their well deserved check would be in the mail. Elijah wished the Ravenwood's well in the future and then they parted ways.
Before Elijah could leave the courtroom to face the throngs of reporters waiting outside, Samantha motioned him to meet her in the hall. Once there, she shook his hand and had a couple of comments for her old law school professor.
"Well, well, well, the lawyer who never loses pulled a rabbit out of the hat today. How'd you do it Professor?" Samantha asked.
"First off, I do lose, even if only occasionally. Second, I did it by showing the jury that Elliot Ravenwood was actually an innocent man and not the brutal murderer as you contended. I hope this teaches you a lesson, that no case is a slam dunk until the ball goes all the way through the net. From the very beginning, your case had many holes that I simply exploited. It also didn't hurt finding the real murderers in the process. All in all this was a very good day," Elijah said smiling.
"Speaking of that, it is going to be hard to prosecute Audrey Taylor and Daniel Morris for the murder seeing as how the only evidence you had, was their testimony," Samantha said.
"I don't believe that's true for a minute," Elijah said. "You have a clear motive for the crime in that they didn't want their embezzlement scheme exposed. You have the 407 logs that show that the only way that Audrey Taylor could have seen the accident that night, was if she was driving her husband's car. That places her back at the park near the time that the Colossus was sabotaged. You also have the fact that Daniel Morris was a skilled forger and could have easily forged Elliot Ravenwood's signature on the torch's purchase receipt, just as he had done hundreds of times on other documents. Now granted you don't have any eyewitnesses, but I'm sure you will find someone. These two were very good, but every criminal makes mistakes. With a little investigating I'm sure you'll find someone who will identify that Scott Taylor's car was parked outside the hotel instead of Audrey Taylor's car. You might find that Daniel Morris' disguise didn't quite fool the shop owner, who therefore might be able to identify him as the one who bought the torch. Hey, with a little luck, maybe even one of the security guards will remember seeing something that they didn't reveal at trial. Sure it looks dark now, but you do have one thing going for you."
"What's that?" Samantha said.
"I won't be defending Audrey Taylor and Daniel Morris." They each laughed at the remark, and then parted their separate ways.
Waiting for Elijah outside the courthouse were the throngs of reporters that he always loathed to talk to. He had no desire to explain to them how he had solved the case, or even how he felt now that it was over. It was not that he thought what the media was doing was unnecessary, but rather it was his apprehension for sharing his feelings in public. How did he feel? Absolutely elated. Finding Scott Taylor's murderer was a difficult task, as so many things in life are. But find them he did, and not a moment too soon.
As Elijah walked up to the microphone, he caught a glimpse of Elliot and Pamela Ravenwood getting into a taxi and he began to smile. It was that sight, the sight of an innocent man being set free, of justice being served, that kept Elijah going everyday. He couldn't help being reminded of what his former professor had always used to utter in class: ' Don't ever take your freedom for granted, for the day that you do, is the day you will lose it.'
For Elliot Ravenwood, he gained his freedom back thanks to a little luck, and the legal mind of Elijah Deville. What cases lay ahead for Elijah are uncertain, but one thing is for sure: his personal fight in support of liberty and justice for all will carry on unabated.
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Other Novels in the Elijah Deville Mystery Series
Next Novels:
1. Elijah Deville in Judged Worthy of Death (Released in August, 2012)
2. Elijah Deville in Guilty Until Proven Innocent (Released in December 2013)
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About the Author
J.R. Diestelkamp was born on July 4, 1983, in St. Catharines, Ontario. Growing up, Diestelkamp became interested in entering the teaching profession because of his love for working with children. He went to school at Brock University and studied Chemistry and Education. He graduated in 2006, with a Bachelor's of Education and a Bachelor of Science focused in Chemistry.
Upon graduating, Diestelkamp was hired by the local school board and has been a substitute teacher up to the date of publication for this novel. Even though Chemistry is his main focus, he always has had a knack for creative writing. In 2011, he published his first novel titled 'Elijah Deville in Coasting to Death'.
The series itself follows the cases of Elijah Deville, a rich Canadian lawyer situated in Toronto. Along with his sister Becca, and his investigator, Cameron Mills, Elijah helps defend guilty looking clients against scurrilous criminal charges. Somewhat based off of fictional lawyers, Perry Mason and Ben Matlock, Elijah always says that he'll vigourously defend his clients in the courtroom. However, personal ethics sometimes hinder his cause, creating situations that other fictional lawyers might not face.
Unlike other detective stories, Diestelkamp attempts to place his characters in a time and place. Although real names and events, close to the time period have been changed, you'll notice that sometimes novels refer to other cases that have already happened or are about to happen. Sometimes, clues might be given in one novel, that might shed some light on a case in another one. Diestelkamp hopes that this f
eature not only keeps readers coming back to the series, but that it adds a sense of realism, in that these characters really do have lives, and are not just bounding from case to case.
At the time of publication, J.R. Diestelkamp resides in Thorold, Ontario, a town of 18,000 people, situated about 15 minutes west of Niagara Falls. He is active in his community, including the church where he attends known as the Garden City Church of Christ. He hopes you enjoy the series, and looks forward to write many more novels in the years to come.
To find out more about the author or about upcoming books in the Elijah Deville novel series follow me on:
Twitter: JR Diestelkamp (JR_Author) on Twitter (JR_Author)
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