Simply Complicated (43 page)

When he called her cellular phone the voicemail immediately came on.

“Hey Kristie, this is Ted. When you get this message please call me. I really need to talk to you. Okay bye,”
he said.

After leaving the message, he called his partner to learn what was happening with Lynn. Ted had prosecuted and defended cases like hers before. From a legal standpoint he knew she would more than likely serve prison time for the murder. Because he had a reasonable working relationship with the District Attorney, he decided to call the prosecutor’s office to see the evidence they had and learn if a plea deal was on the table.

Although he was not going to represent her, if her case went to trial, he planned to work on it and attempt to get as little prison time as possible for her.

The next several days proved even more challenging for Kristie and her children. Each day she had a difficult time getting out of bed. She was still in shock. She just could not believe that Donald was dead.

One morning when she was finally able to get out of bed she heard the kids in the kitchen talking.

“I wonder where Dad was when he was shot. Officer Williams said he was at a friend’s house when it happened. Do you think Daddy was cheating on Mom?” asked Katherine.

“I don’t know, Kat. It was awfully strange that he would get up that early to go over a male friend’s house. He was probably at another woman’s house. But why would she kill him? It just doesn’t make any sense. I want to ask Mom but I don’t want to upset her any more than she already is,” said DJ.

“But why would Daddy cheat on Mom? She’s the best mom in the world. Maybe he was over a lady friend’s house because she needed him to fix something for her,” Katherine suggested.

Kristie entered the kitchen and kissed both children on the forehead, “Good morning guys. You’re up early. Did anyone get any sleep last night?”

“Good morning, Mom,” said Katherine, wondering what her mother overheard.

“Good morning, Mom,” said DJ, standing to give her a hug.

“Thanks DJ, I really needed that hug. So what do you guys want to eat?” asked Kristie.

“I’m really not that hungry,” mumbled DJ.

“Me neither,” said Katherine.

“Are you guys sure? Well, at least drink some orange juice,” said Kristie, trying to pretend she hadn’t been listening to their conversation.

“Grandma and Grandpa are coming over this afternoon to spend some time with us. They’re taking it pretty hard too. I know you guys have some questions surrounding everything that happened. I would rather you ask me than get the wrong information from the news or someone else,” she offered gently.

DJ took a deep breath and asked, “Well...we did want to know where Dad was when he was murdered. We also want to know how he was killed and by whom.”

“Well, I’m not going to lie to you or your sister. Your father and I were having some problems a few years ago. We didn’t want to worry you so we didn’t tell you. We both love you guys with all of our hearts.

“After I was released from the hospital, your father and I started talking more and working on our relationship. He loved me and I loved him and we promised that we would never grow so distant with each other again.

“Your father was killed by a friend of his—a female friend. The police seem to believe that she asked him to come over that morning and after he was there for a short period of time, she shot and killed him as he was leaving.

“She has been arrested and is being charged with his murder. That’s all the information I have. I don’t want you to be angry with your dad for going over there. He was a dear, sweet man and no matter what happened, do know that he loved all of us very much,” as she finished, she hugged both children tightly.

“We’re not mad at him, Mom. We just wanted to know everything that happened,” explained Katherine.

“Thanks for being honest with us. What are we going to do now? It already feels so weird not having him here. I miss him so much,” said DJ, trying to hold back the tears.

“Come here, son. It’s okay to cry. He was your dad and you loved him and he loved you. It’s okay to miss him. I miss him too. I miss him too,” she said repeatedly as they all started crying.

“I hope the lady that killed Daddy goes to prison for a long, long, time. I don’t feel good. Mom, I think I am going to throw up,” said Katherine, running over to the sink.

“That’s okay. Let it out baby. Let it out,” said Kristie, rubbing Katherine’s back as she cried.

While she was consoling the children the doorbell rang. It was her in-laws, so Kristie went to the door and let them in. They could tell that she had been crying and immediately started hugging her. She called for the children and when they saw their grandparents they ran to them and starting crying on their shoulders.

After about an hour, Katherine and DJ went upstairs to get showered and dressed while Kristie and Donald’s parents made the funeral arrangements. This was very difficult for her. She had never thought about planning his funeral before.

While meeting with her in-laws, she received a call from the prosecutor’s office.

“Hello Mrs. Blakely, this is Attorney Lewis with the prosecutor’s office. Do you have a few minutes to talk?” he asked.

“Hello. Is something wrong?” she asked.

“No, I was calling to see how you and the family are holding up and to update you on the case,” he replied.

“We’re hanging in there as best we can,” she answered.

“I want you to know that the police have done a thorough investigation and we have enough evidence to go to trial. Before we proceed, we wanted to explain to you how difficult it can be on families to have their life placed under a microscope and dissected.

“Now it is important for you to understand that the defense will use everything in their power to get their client off, even if that means putting your marriage and your husband’s character on trial. They will more than likely try and make it seem as if the crime was justified in some way.

“Based on the police investigation, it seems pretty clear that your husband was indeed having an affair with the defendant over an eight-year period. This will more than likely come out in trial. The attorneys may say that your husband was abusive towards the defendant in the past and on the morning of the murder.

“We have no evidence to support that claim, but they don’t need evidence; they can simply make a statement to get the jury on their side. We believe we have a clear case for First Degree Murder, but honestly I’ve seen defendants get off, especially when it is a crime of passion,” he explained before she interrupted.

“So what are you saying? My life and my relationship with my husband is now evidence? I don’t understand. How can they do that? She shot and killed my husband—it’s that simple,” Kristie said angrily, trying not to cry again.

“It seems that simple but law is never that clear-cut. Again, the defense has one goal in mind and that is to keep their client out of prison. Our goal is to get her in prison. They are not denying that she shot him; they will more than likely try and argue the intent behind the murder. Since the defendant has a history of depression and other mental and emotional problems, we think they will use this to try and get her off,” he said.

“Listen Mr. Lewis, my children and I are already struggling with the death of my husband and their father. I’m not sure I want them going through the agony of a long trial, especially because they are still in school and have to face their friends.

“Is there any way we can ensure she gets prison time without going to trial? We want and need closure,” she pleaded.

“Well, the defense has stated if we offer a plea deal, their client would be willing to plead guilty. In that case we won’t have to go to trial and she will still go to prison. Although we’ll recommend a prison sentence, it will be up to the judge to accept it or not,” he explained.

“That sounds better. If we offer a plea bargain, what would happen next?” she asked, regaining her composure.

“We would ask for allocution, which means the defendant will have to describe the nature of the murder in detail in order to receive her plea deal. The families of the victim are often present in the court. This will help you with your closure. It’s up to you if you want the children present,” he explained.

“I’m not sure if I want them there but I know I’ll be there along with his family. Please keep me informed,” she said.

The attorney’s tone was kind, “I will. Again, I am sorry for your loss. Take care.”

“Who was that, Kristie?” asked Donald’s father.

“That was the lawyer from the District Attorney’s office. He wanted me to know that they have completed the investigation and are ready to go to trial. I explained that I’m not sure if I can handle a trial.

“He said that my life and Don’s would be scrutinized and possibly misrepresented. Terrible things may come out about him that I don’t want the children to learn,” she explained.

“What kind of terrible things?” Don’s mother asked.

After checking to make sure the children were still upstairs, she proceeded to tell them what the attorney relayed to her.

“Don was having an affair with the woman who shot him. The police found this out during their investigation and think it lasted for about eight years. The prosecutor believes her attorneys will try and say that he was abusive towards her during their relationship, which is why she shot him.

“Although there is no evidence that this is true, he believes the defense will lie and claim abuse occurred to get their client off. I don’t want this lie being spread about him. I don’t want him painted as some monster when he was not,” she said emphatically.

“I cannot believe he was having an affair—and for eight years? That just cannot be true,” exclaimed his mother.

Kristie chose not to address that issue, “He said both sides are interested in a plea bargain to avoid going to trial. If they accept the deal the prosecutor offers, then she would have to admit her guilt and describe in detail what happened to a judge in open court.”

“Would she still go to prison?” asked his father.

“Yes. He also said we would be allowed to be there to hear what happened. I told him we would all be there. I’m not sure if I want the children to go,” Kristie explained.

“I don’t think you should take them,” Don’s mother suggested.

“I agree,” said his father.

“I’ll talk to them to see what they want to do. DJ is almost nineteen and Kat seventeen. They need closure as well. We’ll see,” considered Kristie.

In the meantime, Ted and his children were still trying to cope with the realization that Lynn was going to prison. He had made contact with the District Attorney, whom he worked for when he was a prosecutor.

They shared that they agreed to offer Lynn a plea bargain because the victim’s family wanted immediate closure but she had to allocute or plead guilty in front of the judge and the victim’s family.

There was no doubt in his mind that she would accept whatever plea she was offered, especially since if they lost at trial, she could face a minimum of twenty-years without early release if found guilty.

A month had passed since Donald’s murder and funeral. On the day they were scheduled to go to court for the allocution, the hearing began at 11:00 a.m. at the Cook County District Court Criminal Division at the South California Avenue location.

Kristie was so nervous. Her in-laws met her and the kids at their house so they could all ride together. She was not sure how she was going to handle seeing her husband’s lover and killer face-to-face. She didn’t know what to expect but she could not wait to get closure so she and the kids could try and move forward with their lives.

They arrived to the courtroom at 10:30. The prosecutor handling the case immediately greeted them at the door. He pulled her to the side to see how she was doing and to go over the process with her again.

He told her that they were asking the judge to give the defendant a minimum sentence of twelve to fifteen years. Kristie was not happy with the low sentencing recommendation but she just wanted to put everything behind her.