Page 133 of Precise Justice

A medium size Minnesota blonde girl, seated two rows back on the aisle, stood. She walked a tad hesitantly up to the witness stand. Foster’s clerk was waiting, did the swearing in and Ms. Harding took the stand.

Celia Raines did her direct examination. First thing was name and employment then the events on the morning of January 10.

“I arrived at Sanger, the school, early, a few minutes before six o’clock.”

“How can you be so sure of the time?” Raines asked.

“It’s ah, the time I always get there. I’m early. I like to get an early start,” Sandra said remembering to look at the jury.

“Anything unusual happen?”

“I’ll say! I mean, yes. It was snowing, I mean, well, this is Minnesota and that’s not unusual. What was unusual was anyway, when I was walking up the sidewalk to go into the building. I saw something on the sidewalk.”

She paused here long enough for Raines to ask, “What was it?”

“It was a, ah kind of a big lump covered with snow. I couldn’t tell, um, what it was, at first. So, I walked up to it and when I got there. I could see it was a person, a body.”

“Then what did you do?”

“I, ah, stood there looking at it for, I don’t know, several seconds. It wasn’t moving. She, I believed it was a woman because of the long hair.

“I looked closer and saw what looked like blood in the snow on her head. That’s when I got scared.”

“Then what did you do?” Raines patiently asked.

“I, ah, I ran back to my car, locked the doors and thought about driving home.

“Instead, I called 9-1-1 and waited for the police. The first one arrived just a few minutes later.”

Sandra steadied herself with a deep breath then continued before Raines asked.

“When I saw the police car drive into the parking lot, I got out to meet him. I waved and he drove over to me. I told him what I had seen. I pointed her out. We could see the body on the sidewalk. I didn’t notice it at first, but I could see it now.

“Anyway, he asked me to stay in my car and not leave. He went off by himself to check on the body. He must’ve called it in because within, maybe fifteen minutes, the place was crawling with cops, I mean, police.

“A little while later, maybe another ten or fifteen minutes, two men in overcoats and suits got in my car.”

“They showed me their badges and introduced themselves. They were detectives. They asked me what I saw and did. They wrote it down. When I finished, they said I could go home. No school today. So, that’s what I did.

“They had asked me to come to their office and give a statement. My fiancée brought me there that same afternoon and I gave a statement that was taken by a stenographer.”

“Thank you, Ms. Harding,” Raines said. “Nothing further your Honor.”

“Mr. Kadella?”

“Ms. Harding. When was the first time you saw my client, the accused, Roberta Curtis-Powell?”

“Um, I, ah, well, this afternoon. Here in the courtroom,” she replied a little confused.

“Did you see her anywhere near the school that day?”

“Oh, um, no, I didn’t.”

“Did you see anyone else before the police arrived?”

“No, no one.”

“Do you have any personal knowledge of who committed this horrible act?” Marc asked.

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