Corrupt

30. Verdict

James turned to Shawn, "Mr Mendes, please proceed with your statement."

Shawn nodded and pulled out the piece of handwritten paper he'd prepared in his cell the previous night out of his pocket. He stared at it for a moment, before scrunching it up.

"I'll be honest, I'm not really sure what to say." He sighed, not quite making eye contact with any of his audience. "I'm here to plead my innocence, but I'm sure some of you despite seeing the evidence presented to you still believe I had a part in this murder. All I can do is say one more time that I wasn't there."

He took another breath before continuing, "When I was 14, my outlook on life was bleak. I felt that the world was against me and that there was nothing out there for me, so I foolishly joined a gang. I was lucky that my friends decided to keep me around as I ruined my life. No matter how far I'd fall, they'd always tell me that it wasn't too late and I could still turn it around. They never stopped and I'm every bit as appreciative of it as I am for the fact that they never succumbed to the pressure put on them to join."

So maybe that bit was a lie, but this wasn't about the truth anymore, this was about appealing to the jury's sense of humanity and sympathy.

"I know it may seem simple to blame my issues on my parents, but the truth is, if they were still around, I probably still would've gotten myself into a mess because the truth is," he sighed, "I'm headstrong." He made eye contact with Camila. "I rush into things without giving them a proper thought and sometimes that ends up being the worst decision I could have possibly made."

A smile appeared on his face as he kept his gaze on Camila, "And sometimes it can be the best thing I've ever done." He looked away from his girlfriend and back towards the jury.

"But while I know that I may not deserve it, all I can do is ask for the chance to let go of the group that I once relied on and instead begin a life with the person I've been lucky enough to find. She has changed my outlook on life, she's made me see that I have an opportunity with her and I'm not going to put it to waste."

He turned towards the judge, "Thank you." He looked down as he ended his speech before being told by Judge Loi to return to his seat.

"As the prosecution has refused to drop their case, we will now take a break to allow the jury to reach a verdict." He banged the gavel down and noise erupted in the room as members of the jury rose and exited the room, while the bailiff appeared to drag Shawn away back to his holding cell for what was hopefully the last time.

As he reached the doorway to leave the courtroom, he glanced towards Marcus and gave a brief nod, receiving one of recognition in return before he looked back towards Camila, catching her eye. He grinned before turning his head forward and walking out.

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Camila was shaking as she stood outside the courthouse with Marcus and Lucia. "What do you think they're saying?" She panicked as she marched back and forth. "Do you think they're going to agree with the defence?" Marcus and Lucia shared a look as they watched their friend freak out. "What if they don't let him go?"

Marcus lost his patience at that comment and grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to cease her march and turn back to face him. "Stop panicking. There's nothing we can do about it now. We just have to be calm and prepare ourselves for either outcome. Besides if he's acquitted, he's not going to hang about, he's already put his plan into action."

Camila tilted her head in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Marcus and Lucia shared another look before facepalming, "Shawn's leaving Canada." Her eyes widened, "So, he's just going to walk out of the country and leave me?!" She exclaimed in both horror and anger. Marcus looked at her in bewilderment, "No."

Confusion appeared on her face once more, "Then what are you talking about?" Lucia spoke up this time instead, "You're both leaving the country, but he's leaving in advance of you."

Her eyes widened once more. "What?" They nodded, "Yep."

She forced herself out of Marcus' grip and started pacing once more, "Are you kidding me? Did he not think, 'Hey, why don't I inform my girlfriend of my plans to uproot her life and leave the country with her?' Is he an idiot?" She seethed in frustration.

"It's not that big of a deal," Marcus muttered.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing! Nothing! Now come on, they're gonna announce the verdict soon." He answered, fearing he may receive even more of Camila's wrath.

Camila looked ready to put up more of a fight to find out more information about the chain of events that her boyfriend had decided to leave out of any of their previous conversations about the future, but upon deciding that it was better to grill him in person rather than his best friend, she shook her head and marched forward back into the courtroom, where people were beginning to reconvene.

Once the jury had all reentered the room, Judge Loi sat back down at his seat and ordered Shawn to be brought back in. A minute later, he was dragged into his seat by the bailiffs and stared up at the Judge, awaiting his fate.

"Has the Jury reached a unanimous verdict?" He asked casting his gaze towards the group of twelve. One of the members nodded and stood up, Camila held her breath. In an ideal world, she'd be full of confidence in the fact that with the evidence presented, Shawn would be presumed not guilty, but as she knew by now, the legal system was never just. Sure, she'd been confident at the beginning of the day, but her own brutal questioning from Patrick had completely thrown her off.

But she stared at the jury, hoping that they would just come out with their verdict already.

"We the jury find the defendant, Shawn Peter Raul Mendes, not guilty on all charges."

A growl of frustration sounded from the prosecution as Shawn bowed his head and cried into his hands, although Camila was pretty sure he was laying it on a bit. Actually completely because she'd seen that arrogant look in his eyes earlier, Shawn had been sure of his release by the time her own questioning was over. Camila herself struggled to hold back her tears at the realisation that her boyfriend really was free to move on from the life he lived in Toronto.

The bailiff reached forward and took the paper from the juror before passing it to Judge Loi. He read over the paper briefly before turning towards Shawn, "Bailiffs, please escort Mr Mendes to his cell where he may change and collect his belongings before he is released."

As Shawn was escorted from the room, the rest of the courtroom began to disperse. Before she even realised what was happening, Marcus was grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the room.

"What are we doing?" She asked as she was dragged towards Marcus' car. Marcus ignored her as he continued moving forwards, Camila glanced around and saw that it was only the two of them walking. "Where's Lucia?" Marcus continued to ignore her. "Marcus!" She screeched as they reached the parking lot.

"I promise I'll tell you in the car, but we gotta move. Now."

Sighing, she wrenched her hand from Marcus' grip and jumped into the car. He quickly followed suit and before she knew it, they were off.

"What are we doing?"

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A/N: Hello, I'm aware that I've practically disappeared off the face of the earth. 

I had coursework and then mocks and then the whole world shut down!

Anyways I do have time now to finish this story, so I will definitely be ending this story soon!

40 votes before the next chapter!