Chapter 12 In Court

                                                                    

        I remember vividly the first day in court. I had taken Matt to the courtroom to address the judge and be presented with his charges. We entered the room quietly and sat on the back bench with all the other accused who did not have representation.

        They called case after case before the judge. As we came closer to our time, I was given an open moment to exchange dialog with the bailiff in charge of assigning pro bono lawyers. I briefly explained Matt’s situation. She took one look at his file and said he had some very serious charges. Just at that time an older lawyer walked into the courtroom. The bailiff looked at the man and said, “This guy here is just the man you need.”

       I had prayed that morning for guidance. This was such a new experience and there was no rule book on court behavior. It reminded me of the first time I went with Joe to play golf. I knew nothing about rules or order on the golf course. I walked on pins and needles in order to prevent the embarrassment of being criticized for simply not knowing golf etiquette. Those same feelings surfaced then in the courtroom.

      I was not even sure if I should be talking to the bailiff, but she was kind and pleasant. I told her our dilemma to which she replied, “Honey, you can pay good money and a lot of it to a lawyer, but you will never get a better lawyer than that man right there.”  I knew at that moment God had answered my prayer.

      We met with the newly acquired attorney that day and several time the next few weeks. He also was concerned with the fact that Matt had made a confession. He felt like the best defense Matt could have was to take his case before a jury of his peers. Matt was facing a rather stiff law, called the Alabama Pharmacy Robbery Act, created by the state legislature for the protection of pharmacies and their employees. We would learn that The Alabama Pharmacy Robbery Act would call for Matt, if convicted, to serve a sentence that was longer than my expected lifespan. In other words, his father and I would not live to see his release. This legislation states that any person convicted of armed robbery of a pharmacy shall be required to serve a sentence of 20 years minimum with no parole, a scary thought since Matt was possible facing two charges. He would serve 40 years if convicted.

      Given the serious consequences, his attorney made the decision to go to trial and hope there was not enough evidence to convict. Or maybe even chance a mistrial. Whatever the case, he felt it was a better defense than simply signing a statement.

      Matt had almost finished his time out on bond before the court date. He was scheduled to tell the judge his decision for a trial when, once again, God had different plans. It would take months for me to realize that this was yet another miracle. I was too upset at the change of events at the time to focus on the positive. My whole life had been turned upside down. It was like someone put a blindfold over my face and then said “Walk!”

      I remember that morning so vividly. Matt and I were to meet his lawyer at the court house around 9. Joe had gone on to work that morning and was to meet us there. As always, I was running behind, so I dropped Matt off and went to park the car. He was standing just outside the entrance to the county jail when I last saw him. He wanted a cigarette before he went inside.

      I parked the car and was about to get out when I got a strange phone call on my cell phone. The conversation is pretty much a blur because my mind went blank after I heard Federal Agent…. This could not be happening. We had this all figured out. Why would the Feds step into this situation?  I was terrified. I was alert enough to hear him say meet me at the Hugo Black Federal Courthouse.

      Since Joe was to meet me inside the court house, I continued on to the scheduled place of our meeting. He was there with, of all people, one of the detectives in the case. When I saw the two of them, I broke down. I couldn’t help but cry. This whole incident had been such a shock and now I found myself facing a Federal courthouse and new charges.

      After a few deep breaths, I was able to calm down enough to listen to Joe and the detective. Because a gun had been used in the robbery, Matt was facing federal charges. I felt like I was going to faint. This was all too much for me to comprehend. I remember the detective trying to calm my fears. He assured us that Matt would be better off with the feds than in a state institution. Plus, there was not much hope with the pharmacy act at the state level.

      In retrospect, I know it was all part of God’s plan all along. His time in federal prison would be a long hard journey, but much more bearable than timed served in a state facility.