Chapter 6 - A Voice for Leo
As the trial entered its second week, the defense mounted a final, desperate effort to shatter the prosecution's case. Sterling filed a formal motion demanding that nine-year-old Leo be forced to testify on the witness stand, subject to direct cross-examination in open court.
"The defense has a constitutional right to confront the accuser," Sterling argued in court. "If this young boy is making allegations of deliberate violence, he must state them directly before the jury."
District Attorney Vance fought the motion fiercely, presenting affidavits from pediatric psychologists showing that forcing Leo to face Greg in a high-stress courtroom setting would cause severe, lasting psychological trauma.
The judge reached a compromise: Leo would not have to stand in the main courtroom. Instead, a formal closed-chamber video deposition would be conducted in the judge's private conference room, with only the judge, a court reporter, the child psychologist, the prosecutors, and defense counsel present via closed-circuit camera. Greg would be required to watch the testimony from a separate room through a one-way mirror, unable to speak or interrupt.
On the morning of the deposition, I waited outside the conference room with Maya. Leo walked down the quiet carpeted hallway holding a small blue folder under his arm. He looked small in his neat blue button-down shirt, but his posture was remarkably steady.
Inside the quiet room, the child psychologist sat beside Leo on a low plush sofa, while the camera recorded every angle. The judge spoke to him softly, explaining the importance of telling the complete truth.
"Leo," District Attorney Vance asked gently from across the small table. "Can you tell us what happened on the night your face was hurt?"
Leo held his breath for a moment, his fingers clutching the edge of his blue folder. Then, he opened it. Inside were not legal documents, but a series of detailed colored pencil drawings he had created during his therapy sessions at the hospital.
He pulled out the first drawing and laid it flat on the wooden table. It showed a dark, cluttered garage with a large figure drawn in heavy black lines standing over a smaller figure painted in blue.
"Greg was mad because Mom tried to lock the front door," Leo said, his voice quiet but clear. "He went into the shed to break things. He always breaks things when he's mad so we know he's strong."
Leo pulled out the second drawing. It depicted a heavy iron tool shattered on a concrete floor, with red lines indicating motion.
"I went to the shed door to tell him Mom was crying," Leo continued, his eyes fixed on the paper. "He picked up the big metal vise on the table and threw it at the door. It hit the frame right next to my head and broke into pieces. A hot piece hit my cheek. It burned really bad, and I fell down."
The room was completely silent. The only sound was the steady click of the court reporter's machine.
"What happened after that, Leo?" Vance asked softly.
"I started crying because my face was bleeding," Leo whispered. "Greg grabbed me by my sweatshirt and pulled me into the small back room of the shed. He told me if I made a noise, he would hurt Mom worse. He put tape on my face and told me it was just a spider bite. He made me stay in the dark until he took me to the hospital three days later because my face was so big he couldn't hide it anymore."
Defense Attorney Sterling leaned forward, attempting to challenge the child’s story. "Leo... isn't it true that you were running in the shed and tripped over a tool chest?"
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Leo looked up from his drawings. He looked straight into the camera lens—straight toward the one-way mirror behind which Greg was sitting.
"No," Leo said, his voice firm and unwavering. "I wasn't running. I was standing still. Greg threw it at me because he wanted us to be scared. But I'm not scared of him anymore."
