Behind The Shadows (Complete)

Episode 2

"The Black Widow"

Unless you were living under a rock, you heard about the Trent McKenzie Murder.

The headlines read:

Socialite, Sativa McKenzie, Accused of Murdering Husband in Jealous Rage

Sativa was out on bond and already facing a torrent of public opinion before her trial even started. Misinformation spread across all levels of media, and the overall consensus seemed to lean toward her guilt in Trent's murder.

The prevailing narrative was that celebrity lawyer Trent McKenzie had transformed Sativa, a woman of modest means, into a socialite living a life of luxury. However, when Sativa discovered Trent's affair with French model Shannon Bourgeois, her world allegedly crumbled. The accusations suggested that she became a woman consumed by jealousy and greed, driven to murder Trent for his life insurance money and their multimillion-dollar estate.

"My son was a dedicated, compassionate pillar of his community. He did not deserve to die this way. Sativa couldn't accept the fact that my son had eyes for a self-made woman, so she took his life away from him," claimed Trent's mother. "I will do whatever it takes to make sure she doesn't receive a penny of his money!"

"So, you believe that Sativa premeditated your son's death?" asked a reporter outside the courthouse.

"She was always a gold digger in my eyes. I just couldn't get him to see it. Of course, she planned it. My esteemed, generous, Harvard-graduating boy would never hurt a fly, much less his wife. She's a wicked liar! And I demand justice for my son!"

"Breaking news: The mother of Trent McKenzie has just stated that she believes Sativa McKenzie plotted to destroy her husband's life in this tragic, gruesome ending. Reporting live, I'm Fitz Morrison from WMAR News."

Sativa scoffed at the ludicrous accusations. "Not even the journalists have integrity," she muttered. She and her lawyer, Vinny, were sitting in his office, watching updates breaking on the local news station.

"Trent hadn't spoken to his mother in almost four years, Vinny! And he completely withdrew from the rest of the family after all the claims of his misconduct came out. They've never liked me for Trent, and they treated him unfairly because he chose me over them."

The State was convinced it was a crime of passion. Sativa was charged with involuntary manslaughter based on the incriminating emails they found scattered at the crime scene and her own words when she admitted to the 911 operator that she was the one who killed her husband.

The toxicology report showed high levels of alcohol and heroin in Trent's blood. They claimed that he was attacked by Sativa during a heroin high, and she took his life when he was most vulnerable.

A week before her trial, Sativa was having lunch with Vinny, going over trial details.

"Listen, Sativa, the prosecution isn't going to take it easy on you. Take the plea deal or you might end up in prison for the next twenty years," he cautioned.

"No, Vinny! I can't. I'm not guilty! There's no proof I did this with malicious intent... I'll take my chances. I didn't even know Trent was using heroin. I've told you a hundred times that I confronted Trent about the truth regarding Shannon, and I wanted a divorce. Things got really bad. He attacked me. He was strangling me, and I defended myself! I did not murder my husband! I saved my life!" She exclaimed, standing her ground in her claim of innocence.