The gavel struck once, sharp and final, the sound echoing against the high walls of the courtroom before dissolving into silence so heavy it felt deliberate.
“Guilty. The court imposes a sentence of life in custody.”
Judge Lenora Kline did not hesitate when she spoke. Her voice carried the calm certainty of someone who had delivered this kind of verdict before, someone trained to separate emotion from decision. Around the room, the machinery of the courtroom began to move again as if nothing remarkable had happened. Papers were closed. Chairs shifted. The prosecutor leaned back with quiet satisfaction. The defense attorney lowered his eyes.
