Dear Diary: June 28, 2013
We all held our breath; you could have heard a pin drop in that court room. The only sound was the tick-tock of the clock on the side of the room. The foreman was looking at the paper in his hand. The judge had asked Ashley and her defense attorney to stand as the verdict was read.
"We the jury find the defendant Carrie Cunningham . . . " there was a slight pause and then he said, "Guilty."
GUILTY!
She was found guilty. The rest of what the foreman said was drowned out by the applause in the room and the sheer elation of practically everyone there. And she wasn't just found guilty, but on all counts. Guilty of impersonating a medical professional. Guilty of using a poison with the intent to harm. Guilty of stalking and harassment. Guilty of attempted murder. Guilty of premeditated murder. Guilty of capital murder.
GUILTY!
After the verdict was read, the judge thanked the jury and dismissed them. He was going to determine the sentencing himself. At this point the defense had one last option, and that was to try and spare Ashley's life; because the prosecution was going full steam ahead with asking for the death penalty. Now it was time for the impact statements. We really didn't have an order of those so the judge gave the DA and those of us who had decided to do it some time to figure out in what order we were going to go.
It was decided that Charlotte was to go first to get it out of the way, followed by Mr. Yang's daughter, the relatives of those people she murdered cold-bloodedly and finally, I would go. I knew exactly what I was going to say. Before we went, Ashley's attorney had a chance to address the court and after our statements, Ashley herself would be allowed to address the court as well as her victims. And you know something, I'm not calling her Ashley anymore because that's not her real name. She may want to live in a fantasy world, but even our immortal world is reality, so from now on—until we no longer have to address her or talk about her—I will call her Carrie.
The defense attorney stood up before the judge and said, "Your honor, my client has been found guilty but I implore you to spare her life. Death isn't the answer. She will not learn anything if she receives the death penalty. And she won't receive the necessary treatment for her illnesses. She deserves a chance to make amends and right her wrongs. Thank you."
Well that was short, I thought as we filed back into the courtroom. Charlotte and her fiancé then Ben walked to the podium that stood between the defense and DA tables and addressed the courtroom in a statement she had written. Her hands were shaking but Ben was there to support her as we all were.
"Good afternoon your honor and everyone present," Charlotte said. "Carrie Cunningham doesn't deserve to live. I have never been a real believer in the death penalty, which is kind of ironic since I'm originally from Texas and that state executes people on a regular basis. But as someone said to me once, 'You'll become a believer once it's happened to you or someone you love or care for.' They were right. Ms. Cunningham poisoned me and then brutally attacked me with a massive butcher knife that I believe you only use to slaughter sheep. Why? Because of a perceived notion that the object of her obsession liked me better than her. Even if that was the case, which it obviously wasn't, who does that? Where does that appear in the world of logic? I truly believe that Ms. Cunningham is crazy, but she's not insane. She's as crazy as Aileen Wuornos was when she killed 5 or 6 men in Florida because she wanted to rob them and used the guise that they all raped her to justify doing it. Was she insane? No. Neither is Ms. Cunningham. What Ms. Cunningham is, is ruthless, calculating, methodical, cold-blooded, and vicious. She needs to be kept away from society as a whole, even those in prison. She will do this again and again. Please don't let my suffering and the loss of our patients at the hands of this snake be in vain. Thank you."
The courtroom was silent as the judge thanked Charlotte and all you heard were the sobs of the relatives of the victims. Carrie, meanwhile, just sat there stone-faced and all but glared after Charlotte as she walked back to her seat. Then all the others who went before went up to say their peace. Mr. Yang's daughter's emotional statement brought everyone to tears. Even heartless Carrie couldn't glare at her. She just sat there with her eyes down. Maybe it was finally getting through to her that she wasn't going to skate by on her "insanity" crap.
Finally, it was my turn.
"Dr. Cullen, would you please give us your statement?" The judge motioned me to approach the podium. At the mere mention of my name, Carrie's head snapped back up and she looked at me with wide, startled eyes. I walked up to the podium and addressed the court. I didn't have any papers with me, didn't need them; I was after all a vampire with a super memory. But of course they didn't know that. But I digress.
"Thank you, your honor, members of the court, ladies and gentlemen. I at first didn't know whether I was going to be coming here today and speaking with you but then I decided to do it. I'm here on behalf of myself, my wife, and family, but most importantly, I'm here for the people who cannot speak for themselves and those are the patients who were in my care and the care of the hospital where I work; all of whom Ms. Cunningham murdered. I'm speaking on behalf of their families for whom it is too hard to get up here and address all of you. As a doctor, I have witnessed death in many different forms; some more gruesome than others. As a doctor, it is my number one priority to save a life, to spare a life, to make someone better."
As I was speaking, Carrie's eyes started to get hopeful, maybe I would actually ask for leniency on her behalf. What she heard next, smashed all of her hope into little pieces.
"However, in this case . . . I do not wish for Ms. Cunningham's life to be spared. I fervently wish that you, your honor, sentence her to death. She has brought immeasurable pain to my loved ones and those who I work with, and so much more for my patients and their families. That makes me very angry with Ms. Cunningham. It wasn't her right to play God. The world contrary to her thought process revolves around the sun and not around her. Her obsession with me and perceived notion that I would leave my wife for her was childish and stupid. Ms. Cunningham is a narcissistic drama queen with a superiority complex and that's where her so called mental disorders end. She's very good at what she does having perfected her method in 2 other states before coming here. Your honor, this is a woman who even now as we all give our statements, still sits defiant and unapologetic. I beg of you, send her to where she belongs—and that's straight to hell. Thank you."
That last line elicited a gasp from Carrie as she tried to say something but couldn't. Without even looking back, I then walked and sat next to my wife as the rest of my family patted me on the arms and back depending on where they were sitting or standing. The daughter of Mr. Yang as well as the families of the other victims all gave me grateful looks and nods of approval; I nodded back.
"Ms. Cunningham, this is your opportunity to address the court and your victims. Is there anything you would like to say?"
Carrie thought about it for a few seconds, than hopped up to her feet. She first looked at the judge then turned around and looked around the room until her eyes landed on me. She frowned. She looked back at the judge and said:
"Your honor, is it so wrong to love someone and go after him when you believe he's interested in you? Is that a crime? Hospitals are for helping people, yes—but hey . . . it's life, right? Shit happens! I don't belong in hell. I belong alive and well and free. And all those people who called me names should all go to hell themselves. They're pathetic! I know right from wrong and I know that I am RIGHT!"
With that she sat down in a huff and crossed her arms defiantly over her chest as we all looked her with utter dismay. She was never going to admit it. If family members came to seek an apology from her, they were sorely disappointed. She wasn't giving it up.
Now it was time for the judge to speak. It seemed to me that he had made up his mind regarding the sentencing. A nod from Edward and Rogue meant my thinking was correct. All right, well this was it. All or nothing! Two choices were on the table; life without the possibility of parole, or the death penalty.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I have heard everything I had to hear today and then some. Ms. Cunningham will you please rise?" She and her defense stood up. She still had her arms crossed.
"Ms. Cunningham, the brutality of your crimes is unthinkable. Your lack of remorse, compassion, or caring makes me believe that you are a truly sad and soulless creature. You don't have any concept on what compassion even is. If you are anything; it's a total and complete psychopath. Therefore, my decision is thus. Ms. Cunningham, I sentence you to death by lethal injection. While you are awaiting that date, you will be reprimanded to the New Hampshire State Prison for Woman until the date of your execution, which will be decided upon at a later time. Your crimes leave me no choice and sparing your life is out of the question. You didn't give your victims a chance at life; why should I give you that chance now? You will not have any further contact with any members of the staff at the hospital, especially Dr. Cullen and his family; there will be a permanent restraining order placed against you on behalf of his family until the date of your execution. Your crimes are despicable and so are you. That is my decision. Thank you everyone for your hard work and effort. Court is adjourned!"
As soon as he said that everyone started cheering and hugging. We did it! We won the whole entire thing. And got the death penalty. As we were all cheering and talking excitedly, Carrie was being handcuffed to be led away but as usual she was determined to have the last word.
"So you think you are going to kill me? Yeah, right! I'm invincible, you hear me? Invincible!"
The guards proceeded to shackle her completely so she wouldn't be able to move as she continued to holler. Then out of nowhere, Rogue was right in front of her. She didn't even care if anyone saw her lightning speed approach. Rogue got right into her face as Carrie's eyes went wide.
"Shut up, you crazy bitch. It's over; you lost! It'll be nice to see them stick that needle into your arm as you gasp for your absolute last breath of air. Gasp, gasp, gasp. And then down to hell you go! Make sure to give the devil a great big kiss; he's right up your alley!"
Rogue whispered all of that into her ear through clenched teeth, and in that horrifyingly deep voice of hers that she only uses when the shit hits the fan. It gives even vampires' goosebumps. So no one really heard what she said other than Carrie and all of the immortals in the room. The officers didn't care, they just wanted to throw her in her cell until she was transported to the prison, lock the door, and throw away the key until her execution date. Besides, they all knew Rogue and knew that if she was up in someone's ear, whatever she had to say wasn't pleasant anyways.
After Rogue said what she said, she turned and walked away without looking back. Carrie was standing there in shocked silence with her mouth gaping open as the officers had to push her to get her to move. We all walked out of the courtroom and met everyone, and I mean everyone outside of the court house on the steps where there was a ton of media that the FBI quickly moved aside so family members could quickly get to their cars. They all left very quickly, but not before coming up to me and thanking me personally for all I said and had done for them. Some even hugged me, like Mr. Yang's daughter for example. I knew her father would be released from the hospital in the next week or so, so that was wonderful news. I would check up on him a few times before then.
Charlotte was standing off to the side with Ben and her parents. When most of everyone left, except my family and the Watchers, they came over to me. Charlotte and I hugged. We didn't need to say anything. But then Charlotte turned to Alice, who was standing off to the side and speaking softly with Rose.
"Hey, Alice?"
Alice immediately focused her attention on Charlotte and walked over. "Yes, Charlotte?" Alice, of course, knew exactly what Charlotte was going to ask and was trying very hard to keep still. We all had to hold back our laughter.
"Now I know this is probably too soon, and too soon for me as well, but I was wondering, could you please help me plan my wedding to Ben here? Dr. Cullen has said on multiple occasions how amazing you are at those kinds of things. I mean, I'm not ready yet to plan it but when I am . . . and you know, fully recovered, I can't afford a wedding planner. They are so very expensive," Charlotte said.
"Really? You want me to plan your wedding? I would absolutely love to! Just tell me when you're ready and we can sit down at a Starbucks or something and go over what you guys want, or you can come to our house. It's totally up to you! And don't worry about the price, I don't charge a dime for my extraordinary planning skills." Everyone laughed at that one. Looked like our little pixie had another wedding lined up to plan. At least she'll keep busy.
As we all hugged and before we dispersed, we had invited Charlotte, Ben, and her parents to our house for dinner the following evening, which they graciously accepted. Bella and Leah winked at each other as they were going to help Esme cook. Finally, this large dark cloud had begun to lift off of all of us. Even though there will be appeals on behalf of Carrie's attorneys to postpone the death penalty. We hope sooner or later it'll get done.
This God willing that would be the last time we would ever see or hear of Carrie Cunningham!
Good riddance!
~Carlisle Cullen