Rhea Ripley X OC [(DISCONTINUED)]

Chapter 44

TW- Swearing. A/N- I don't think Tyra's mother needed a name so she doesn't get one. Also I know the verdict and sentencing may not be entirely accurate but this is fanfiction after all so who really cares :)

It's the day of Tyra's mothers trial and as promised, I am right by Tyra's side. I took her shopping to find a smart looking outfit for it and she picked out a navy blue dress with a black cardigan, black tights(pantyhose) and black chunky ankle boots. We were stood with Agatha and the prosecution talking about how today could go while we waited to called in. Eventually we were and I sat in the gallery as Agatha had to sit with Tyra at the prosecutors table.

The judge arrived and court was called into session. Opening statements were made and now it was time for witnesses to be called. The first witness called was Agatha, the defence attorney- in my honest opinion - ripped into her a bit to harshly but she remained calm and answered all of the questions thrown at her. Next to be questioned was the Police Officer that dealt with Tyra's sister case 15 years prior via video link since he was based in San Diego and again, he handled himself well; he had even provided the evidence and reports from the case to aid the prosecution. Tyra's sister also gave a written statement as evidence for the prosecution explaining what she could remember of her time in her birth mothers custody.

Thirdly, Tyra was called to the stand. She looked terrified and her mother staring her down wasn't helping her at all. She swore to tell the truth and the cross-examination began. The prosecution was the first to ask questions, "Miss. Kershaw, do you know why you're here today?" they asked. Tyra nodded, "Yes, I do." she said quietly. "Could you, in your words, tell us and the jury why?" Tyra swallowed the lump in her throat and looked to me for help; I gave her a reassuring smile and she took a deep breath, "I'm here to testify against my so called mother who has beaten me, starved me, outright neglected me over the past couple of years and then abandoned me." she states while looking over at the jury, making eye contact with a few of them.

The prosecution asked Tyra a few more questions and presented the relevent evidence then let the defence take over, "So Tyra, can I call you Tyra?" they ask. Tyra nodded, "You may." The defence lawyer nods and proceeds to ask several questions in a way that - in all honesty - made my fucking blood boil but I kept quiet and took several deep breathes to keep calm. The questions that were asked confused Tyra and made her stutter and stumble over her words but thankfully the prosecution saw this and called out, "Objection Your Honor, leading the witness." a few times to which the judge always replied, "Sustained." This made the defence lawyer reword their questions.

Everytime Tyra said something that her mother didn't like, she'd start shouting and calling Tyra absolutely horrid names; further proving that she was guilty of the crimes being held against her. Once neither side had anymore questions for her, Tyra stepped down from the stand and returned to her chair. Next to be brought forward was one of the security guards from the day I took Tyra in. He answered every question with such certainty that it left no doubt in anyones mind that Tyra's mother was guilty; he provided security footage of Tyra and her mother entering the venue together and her mother leaving without her as well as phone records of them trying to contact her for over an hour.

Once he left the stand, the prosecution called me forward to testify about that day so I took the stand and swore the oath. The prosecution stepped toward me, "Miss. Black, what were you doing the day you found young Miss. Kershaw?" they asked, pointing at Tyra. "I was doing an autograph signing for some of my fans along with a few of my colleagues that afternoon." I replied. "And what is it you do for work Miss. Black?" "I'm a professional wrestler working for WWE or World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Skylar Morningstar." I stated.

"Thank you Miss. Black. Now, can you tell us what happened prior to and after finding Tyra please." I nodded and smiled, "Of course. As I said a few moment ago, me and a few of my colleagues attended an autograph signing that afternoon from around 1pm til around 6pm. When it ended, I packed up my belongings and was heading towards the exit when I saw Tyra sat against one of the far walls of the room we were in, hugging her knees with her head buried between them. I briefly looked around to see if someone was looking for their daughter but I saw no-one. Even from a short distance, you could tell she was crying so I carefully made my way over to her and asked if she was okay. She nodded but it was clear that she wasn't. I asked where her parents were and she said and I quote, 'My mom told me wait here so she could go to the bathroom but that was like 3 hours ago and now the signings over. I never even got to meet Skylar Morningstar.'; For obvious reasons, this made me chuckle a little so I asked if she could look up at me and when she did her eyes practically popped out of her head when she saw me crouched down infront of her. I helped her up, took her to the security desk and explained that I found her curled up crying and asked if they could help try and find or contact her mother. One of the guards asked Tyra for a contact number which she handed over and told us that she'd tried calling numerous times but never got an answer. The guards tried for over an hour to get in contact with the mother but still, no-one ever answered. It was starting to get dark out by this time so I asked Tyra if they was anyone else we could call for her but she said no, that it was only ever been her and her mother. She started tearing up so I pulled into a hug and tried my best to give her some kind of comfort. The guards tried one last time but again, no-one answered. I told Tyra this and offered to take her in for the night." I recounted everything that happened that afternoon, the jury looked both appalled and disgusted by what I told them.

I was asked a few more questions by the prosecution before the defence was allowed forward. I answered all their questions as well and never once changed my statement. When both sides were done, I was allowed to step down and return to my seat in the gallery. The accused was then brought forward to answer questions, this time the defence started the questioning. Throughout her time on the stand, I was horrified to hear her deny everything; even though the evidence was stacked against her. When the prosecution started their questioning, she started to crack and the more pressure that was applied she eventually did. She admitted to everything she did to both her daughters so there was no need for closing statements.

She was taken to the courthouse holding cells as the jury left to deliberate which wasn't long. After about 10 minutes, we were all called back into the courtroom for the verdit. Once the judge was seated and the room was silent he asked, "Members of the jury, have you reached an unanimous verdict?" The jury spokesman stood and said, "Yes, your Honor, we have." The judges nods, "Members of the jury, on the case of Kershaw vs. Kershaw, what say you?" they asked. "Your Honor, the members of this jury find the defendant... GUILTY of two counts of child endangerment, one count of child neglect, two counts of child abuse and one count of child abandonment in the highest degree."

"Very well." The judge starts, "I will now pass sentence of the verdict. I agree with the jury on the verdict of guilt and hereby sentence the defendant to 30 years in prison, without the possibility of parole. Your parental rights will be removed and the child shall stay in the care of her foster mother until the time when she is adopted. Court is dismissed and thank you everyone for a job well done." and with that, the judge leaves and Tyra runs to me, tackling me in a big hug while her birth mother is dragged away kicking and screaming.

We leave the courtroom with Agatha where she pulls aside, "I'll make a start on looking for suitable families that are looking to adopt and hopefully find one for you Tyra." She says and was about to leave. "About that Agatha..." I start stopping her in her tracks, "What if you didn't need too." I said. Agatha looked quite confused by this but I turned to look at Tyra, "I have been doing a lot of thinking about this lately and Tyra, I was wondering if you would be okay with me adopting you." I said. Tyra's eyes widened and she started to tear up with a massive smile on her face, she turned to look at Agatha - who looked a bit relieved she didn't have to search for a family - as if to ask if we could go through with it and Agatha said, "I don't see why not. Payton, you seem to be doing a great job at raising Tyra and you Tyra, seem to be really happy living with Payton." Tyra nodded so Agatha continued, "Well then, I'll head back to the office and get the adoption paperwork started. I'll be in contact when it's ready to be signed." she finished and walked away.

Tyra looked up at me for a second before wrapping her arms around me and cried tears of joy. In return, I wrapped my arms around her and that's how we stood for a few moments before we walked to my car and I drove us home; both of us very pleased with how today turned out.