Love isn't always enough A Jordan Knight/ Joey McIntyre fanfic

Chapter 79: Court hearing continued

The doors opened, and two guards escorted him in. He had on an orange jumpsuit, his hair looked raggedy, and he looked like he hadn't slept in months. He looked at us sitting there and sat down. He spoke to his attorney and peered back at us again, all lined on the front row.

The Baliff stepped in, "Please rise, presenting the honorable Judge Mcguire."

A female Judge walked in. She looked to be in her thirties, and she sat down, and so did everyone else. The hearing started.

"Mr. Evans, I understand you have pleaded not guilty to the charge of driving under the influence, attempted vehicular manslaughter, and assault with a vehicle. Is this correct?"

"Yes, your honor."

"So, on June nineteenth, were you not driving the vehicle that crashed into a 2010 Audi and injured the occupant of that vehicle, Mrs. Stephanie McIntyre?"

"Yes, I was driving when I ran into the car. I didn't try to kill her, and I didn't assault her with a vehicle."

"Mr. Evans, by the law, you did when you collided with her car head-on. I am going to give you one chance to change your plea after we hear statements from witnesses on the scene and from her family. You will have one chance at the end to change your plea. If you do not, then you will be prepared for my judgment on the case. This is a closed private hearing; we have celebrities in the building there will be no phones, pictures, or video allowed. Her family wants to keep it private; anyone other than myself, her family, and the two attorneys that have phones in your possession need to hand them in until after we finish." The two guards and a couple who had walked in handed the Baliff their phones.

"Thank you, now, we are going to first call the police, paramedics, and fire department, who were the first responders, to the stand."

They walked up, placed their hands on the bible, and took the oath. Each one described the scene that day, with pictures and details they had learned from eyewitnesses. Joe's mom hugged him and squeezed his hand as they described the scene.

The car was smoking, the glass, the blood, the blood all over Stephanie, and the position the car was in. The length of time it took them to extricate her from the car. The fact there were no skid marks that he even tried to slow down or avoid the accident. His blood alcohol was 1.6, which was way over the legal limit.

The shape Stephanie was in when they removed her from the car was that she had a pulse, but they didn't think she would make it.

The officers described how they located her purse and phone and had to go to her address to tell her family. The brother that answered the door stated her husband was out of the country on tour, and they advised him to call him and have him return.

The entire time Joe's leg was going a hundred miles an hour up and down as he shook it to try and keep calm. Hearing and seeing those pictures of the scene was horrific for him.

"Okay, now we are going to hear from Mrs. McIntyre's family and friends."

"Yes, we are going to call the three female family members who were meeting her that day. Starting with Marlene Knight." Marlene walked up, placed her hand on the bible, and took her oath. She sat down nervously.

"Mrs. Knight, you are or were Mrs. McIntyre's ex-mother-in-law, is that correct?"

"Yes, she was married to my son, Jordan. I consider her my daughter even after they divorced."

"Okay, and why do you consider her your daughter even tho she and your son are now divorced and have been for over six years?"

"Well, her mom and dad live in Tennessee. She dated my son through high school, and I have known her since she was fifteen. Just because they didn't work out doesn't mean we had to divorce her as well. She is the mother of my two grandkids. She is family to all of us."