Page 149 of Strays
“If a man points a gun to your head, would you want us to remove the threat or wait to be absolutely sure he wouldn’t realize his mistake before shooting your brains out? Of course I responded considering he could harm her.”
The DA turns toward the jury again. “Three aegis. One human man. And not one of you tried to hold him back. You didn’t even speak to him.”
“My brother had already told him to leave,” I say. “He ignored him.”
“You’re officers. You know better. You know what your strength means. Your responsibility. And you still struck him.”
He paces again. The tension in the jury box is visible now. One man scribblessomething. A woman presses her lips together and stares at her lap.
“You acted on instinct,” the DA says. “Not law.”
“Objection,” Renner says, rising again. “Improper argument. That’s testimony.”
The judge lifts her hand slightly. “Sustained. Stick to the facts, Counselor.”
He looks at the jury. “No further questions.”
He turns and walks back to the prosecution table.
Judge Conway nods once toward us. “You may return to your seats.”
We stand and head back to the defense table.
The Judge addresses the courtroom: “Are there any additional witnesses?”
Renner rises. “No, Your Honor. The defense rests.”
Conway nods. “Very well. We’ll proceed to closing arguments.”
The courtroom shifts again, quiet tension replacing movement. The jury sits up straighter, a few shuffling their notes.
The DA steps forward. “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,” he begins, “I want to remind you what this case is about: an unarmed human was left unconscious in a backyard. His face broken. His dignity stripped. Three aegis, each stronger than any human, stood over him.”
He points toward the defense table. “They tell you it was instinct. But instinct is not the law. They say it was love. But love is not immunity. They made a choice. And that choice put a man in the hospital.”
He pauses. “This trial isn’t about instincts. It’s about accountability. It’s about the fundamental right of every human to be protected by the law from harm. It’s about sending a clear message: that no matter how strong someone is, they don’t get to hurt someone weaker just because they think they can.”
He returns to his table.
Renner rises. He walks to the center of the room, facing the jury. “What you’ve heard from the prosecution is fear, not law. They want you to see three aegis and assume violence. They want you to see strength and assume guilt. But I want you to see the facts.”
He raises a hand, ticking off his fingers. “Fact: Luc Knolson was intoxicated. Fact: he made repeated, graphic, sexual comments. Fact: he was told to leave. Fact: he returned, and moved toward the woman he had just humiliated in front of her friends and neighbors.”
He lowers his hand. “And yes, fact: Jayson Larsen stopped him.”
“I ask you to put yourselves in their position. If someone spoke about your wife, your daughter, your sister like that, and then went for her, would you want the law to tell you that you had no right to stop them?”
He returns to his seat.
Judge Conway sits forward. “Members of the jury, you are now instructed to deliberate based solely on the evidence presented. You must set aside emotion, opinion, and bias. The burden of proof lies with the State. If that burden hasnot been met beyond a reasonable doubt, you must find the defendants not guilty. You may now retire to the jury room.”
The bailiff leads them out.
Finally, The Judge says, “This court is in recess until the jury reaches a verdict.”
Renner leads us to a small conference room down the hall. A minute later, Jayme walks in with Alice, Jo, and her uncles.
She launches forward, and Shane catches her first. Jay and I lean in right after, wrapping our arms around her. It’s only now, completely surrounded by my brothers, with Jo in the middle of us, that I let myself feel everything that happened.
