The World According to Vince - Jane Harvey-Berrick Page 0,76
rise as Judge Herschel entered the room. If anything, she looked even more severe than when I’d seen her ten weeks previously.
She arranged her robes and sat, frowning at the shuffling of feet as everyone else took their places.
“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Calling the case of the People of the State of New York versus Vincent Alexander Azzo on charges of burglary and larceny. Mr. Azzo is represented by Grace Cooper, and the State of New York is represented by District Attorney Randolph Barclay. Are both sides ready?”
DA Barclay gave her a blinding smile as he stood, looking as if he was auditioning for a toothpaste commercial, bowing his head slightly in deference. “Ready for the People, your Honor.”
Taking a deep breath and giving a small, professional smile, I stood and spoke clearly. “Ready for the defense, your Honor.”
Judge Herschel gazed at me over her half-moon spectacles, then flicked those all-seeing eyes across her courtroom.
“Will the clerk please swear in the jury.”
The clerk leapt to his feet obediently. “Will the jury please stand and raise your right hand? Do each of you swear that you will fairly try the case before this court, and that you will return a true verdict according to the evidence and the instructions of the court, so help you, God? Please say ‘I do’.”
They all spoke, some mumbling, some clearer, and the clerk nodded.
“You may be seated.”
As they re-took their places, I leaned closer to Vince, speaking out of the corner of my mouth.
“Whatever Barclay says, don’t say a word, don’t respond at all. You’ll hear things you won’t like or that you’ll disagree with. But Vince, keep it zipped.”
He mimed zipping his lips and my heart sank. Could he really keep his mouth shut? It seemed unlikely.
Barclay rose to his feet and faced the jury, the smugness gone from his face, replaced by a sincere and earnest expression.
“Your Honor, ladies and gentlemen of the jury: the defendant has been charged with two serious crimes…” Barclay swept his arm towards Vince, his face stern and lawyerly, punctuating each charge for emphasis. “Burglary of a charitable institution…” he paused dramatically. “Larceny, theft. The evidence will show that the defendant deliberately, calculatingly and violently broke into a charitable institution, a charity, ladies and gentlemen! Breaking two doors, two sets of locks, and damaging a third—a charity that can ill afford to pay for repairs; a charity that is supported by tax payer donations—that’s your donations and, of course, the generosity of strangers. Further, on the night of January 4th, the defendant attempted to steal 17 valuable animals and was arrested with six of the animals about his person, with a clear intent to remove another 11 without the owner’s permission. The defendant’s fingerprints were on all three doors, the two locks and 11 leashes, and as I must reiterate—he was arrested at the scene of the crime, red-handed. The evidence I present will prove to you that the defendant is guilty as charged.
“And I must add, the defendant’s grossly negligent and self-aggrandizing behavior since his arrest, his utter disrespect for the law, has led to a significant increase of copycat crimes—a crime wave across the whole State and beyond—that must not be condoned, and indeed must be punished to the full extent permitted by law.”
Barclay adjusted his tie, staring at Vince, who watched him with a slight frown, then turned to the jury.
“Notoriety, celebrity, it’s a curious thing in the modern world—curious that they can be so closely linked as to appear to be inseparable, but ladies and gentlemen, they are not the same thing. The defendant has sought to sway opinions on his crimes by his antics, but imagine for one moment that a young person was swayed to attempt a similar stunt—to climb a high wall, trespassing and risking serious injury, for example. That would be unforgiveable. But the truth is much worse—all across New York State and, in fact, the whole eastern seaboard, other criminals have sought to copy these dangerous crimes along with the use of violence to emulate the man you see before you, the man arrested at the scene of his crimes.
“This is a court of law, not a popularity contest. I will bring witnesses to bear testimony against him, and you will hear indisputable evidence from experts in their field to prove the defendant’s guilt, and I fully expect you to do your duty as responsible citizens and find Mr. Azzo guilty as charged. Thank you.”