Page 72 of Retaking the Shot
“Mr. Mahoney?” a woman called out, holding open a door.
“Yes.” I stood.
“ADA Williams is ready for you. Follow me, please.”
As I walked behind her down a hallway, I typed another message to Coop.
Just got called back. Talk soon. Love you
I tucked my phone into my pocket as we entered a conference room.
“You can have a seat. He’ll be right with you.”
“Thank you,” I replied.
A couple of minutes later, the ADA walked into the room with a manila folder in his hand.
“Mr. Mahoney, thank you for coming in today.” He put the folder down and stuck his hand out in greeting.
“Of course.” I stood and shook his hand.
We both took a seat, and he opened the folder. “So, I asked to meet with you so I could go over the details of the plea deal we are offering Timothy Smith. As a reminder, this is the deal that the Attorney General is offering. You won’t be able to give any input or request changes; however, you have a right to know the details.”
“I understand.”
“Okay. Well, this case definitely poses some challenges. There is a lack of witnesses, and the evidence isn’t as strong as we would hope if we took the case to trial.”
My shoulders sagged, and I worried Tim wouldn’t face any repercussions for his actions. “What does that mean? Is he going to get away with what he did?”
ADA Williams shook his head. “We’re going to do all we can to ensure justice is served, but I want you to understand the reasons behind this deal. We are offering for him to plead guilty to indecent assault with five years in prison and unlawful video recording, which comes with an additional two years sentence. He will also have to register as a sex offender after he is released.”
“So, he’s not being charged with rape?”
He sighed. “If we go to court, that would be what we’d charge him with. However, a trial would require you to testify, and as I said, we don’t have the strongest case. There’s no physical evidence and the video doesn’t show the rape.”
A part of me wanted Tim to reject the deal, so he’d have to face a jury, but I wasn’t stupid. I knew what ADA Williams said was true. The video from that night showed a consensual act between Tim and me. The only evidence that he raped me would be my testimony and the short video I took after the fight with Coop. I wasn’t sure that was enough for a jury to find him guilty if it went to trial.
Besides, serving seven years in prison and registering as a sex offender was more punishment than he’d get if I had said nothing in the first place.
“Okay. How long do we have to wait to find out if he agrees to plead guilty?”
“We will send the offer to his attorney today. He could let the case proceed as planned and decide later if he wants to accept, but I expect to hear a decision soon so he can avoid any pre-trial hearings.”
We talked a little more about the process, and then I left. The minute I was back in my car, I called Coop on speakerphone.
“Hey. You all done with your meeting?”
“Yeah.” I turned on the ignition and pulled out of my parking space.
I told Coop the details of the plea deal, and when I was done, he asked, “How do you feel about it?”
“At first, I was upset that he would be allowed to plead guilty to a lesser charge, but I’m actually okay with it. I really don’t want to have to testify and deal with a drawn-out trial. If he accepts, I can finally move forward and put this behind me.”
“Let’s hope he agrees then.”
“Coop, whatcha’ doin’?” I heard someone shout in the background, and it sounded a lot like Butcher.
“Sounds like you’re being summoned.”
