The Hangman's Game - A 'Perfect' Town Murder Mystery

Chapter 3: The Hangman Tells a Story

"The Trial of the People vs Ricky Anderson is in session. You may be seated," A booming voice said as it filled the courtroom. 

The judge was an average-built man with dark grey eyes, short dark brown hair, and light golden brown skin as he eyed the whole room. 

The judge said in a Southern accent, "Ricky, how do you plead?"

Ricky rolled his eyes and smirked. "Guilty, your honour." 

Everyone was whispering about Ricky as he sat back in his seat, rolling his eyes. 

The judge sighed and said, "Alright, defence, please proceed with opening statements."

A lawyer stood up. "Your Honor, my client is innocent of the crimes he committed", He said. The lawyer was of average height, had light brown skin and an Italian silk black suit with a red tie. His light blue eyes sparkled in the room as he pushed back his black hair. 

"Oh, that's bullshit; he's guilty, your honour!" Another lawyer said angrily in a British accent; he had a dark blue suit with a black tie. He was a tall man with stone-cold features: pale golden brown skin, piercing grey eyes, and short light brown hair. 

"Silence, Mr Jones, Please proceed, Mr Wilkes," Judge Antonio Moretti said as he looked over at the Lawyer Daniel Jones who said, "My Client has suffered severe trauma in his life, and if he did these crimes, we should plead him towards the reason of insanity," he said looking at the jury who wrote down notes.

"Oh, that's utter shit; he had half a right mind to kill those innocent people and do what he always did," The second lawyer Hugh Wilkes said angrily as Daniel rolled his eyes. 

"Your Honour, Mr Wilkes is providing insufficient evidence to this case." 

"Your honour, the defence calls Ryan Anderson to the stand he can provide evidence to what I'm saying."

Ryan was Ricky's younger brother. He had dark brown hair, mint green eyes and pale skin. He wore a light grey suit as he sat in the witness box, scared as Ricky rolled his eyes and thought, 'This is going to be fucking interesting' He then sat in the witness box looking over at everyone.

Daniel went to the stand and said, "So, Mr Anderson, could you tell us about your brother."

Ryan looked at his brother and said, "My brother has always been 'the black sheep' of the family, but we still loved him; but he was always acting weird ever since we were kids, and we all got worried about him." 

Ricky scoffed as his brother continued, "Whenever anyone wanted to talk to him about it, he would just say not to worry about it, or he'd roll his eyes and go to his room and listen to his music." 

"Was your family religious?"

"yes, we were but every time Ricky would go to a church, he would get a headache as he hated churches with a passion." 

"Right, was there anything else?" 

"Yes, we all knew he had disorders, so we knew he wouldn't be in his right state of mind if he killed someone."

Hugh stood up. "Objection, the accused would be in his right state of mind and kill someone." 

"Overruled; you may keep going, Mr Jones."  

"Thank you, your honour." 

The trial continued as Ricky scoffed as Judge Moretti called a recess.  Ricky got sent to his cell as he started to read a book. 

"Ricky, you got a visitor,", His guard said as Ricky just nodded as he read his book. 

The visitor came in, and it was his brother Ryan; Ricky sighed as he put his book down on the metal table. 

"Oh, for fuck's sake, what do you want, brother." 

"Brother, please, this isn't you; you're not like this!" 

"Oh brother, this is me; I'm not a child anymore." 

Ryan sighed. "Please, brother, we all miss you; we love you." 

Ricky scoffed. "Yeah, right, you never loved me; you all saw me as a fucking liability you all had to put up with me." 

"We did love you! We still do; please just stop all this. You're not a serial killer." 

"I am a serial killer; you know this." 

Ryan sighed. "Ricky, please, I miss the good side of you." 

Ricky laughed. "Oh, how fucking pathetic," he said. "My good side is dead, you piece of shit." 

Ryan sighed. "Please, brother, we all miss you; mom and dad are here too." 

The guard sent them in as Ricky rolled his eyes again. "Mother, Father. Nice surprise," he said sarcastically as they sat down. 

Ricky's mother, Susan, was a short woman with light brown hair and pale skin, her mint green eyes locked towards her sons as she wore a plain shirt, jeans and trainers and a light blue cardigan. 

Ricky's father, Martin, was wearing a navy blue suit with a light grey tie; as he stared at his son with his light brown eyes, he said, "Son, please just plead not guilty." 

Ricky laughed. "Oh please, I'm very guilty, you know that", he said with a smirk as the family kept pleading for him to change his verdict, but he didn't. 

"You all are pathetic. I'd rather be guilty than innocent then I'd have to deal with you idiots and I don't fucking want that" 

Then the trial began again as Judge Moretti looked over at the foreperson as the judge said, "what is your final verdict?" he said as The foreperson stood up. 

"Your honor, we find the defendant Ricky Anderson guilty of his crimes." 

Ricky smirked as the judge said, "you will be sent to a mental institution where you will serve your sentence, but I would like to ask, is there anything you want to add, Mr Anderson?" 

"Oh yes, your honour," he said, getting up as he looked at the cameras since this was being televised was just like the trials for serial killers like Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, Jeffery Dahmer, Richard Ramirez, John Wayne Gacy, and many more killers "I know you're all going to think I regretted killing those people and breaking innocent families" he paused as he laughed wickedly like a supervillain"but I regret nothing at all the victims were so easy to kill, they were so fucking gullible, how their screams made me tingle it was beautiful," he said with a cold tone "And I'm not finished as the game has just started" as he cackled and got lead away in shackles as he got sent to the mental asylum as the warden said to him as he took him to his room. Everyone was shocked to their core as the victims' families and friends cried and were shocked he didn't feel remorse.

"Welcome to your new home Mr Anderson." 

This was the start of Ricky's Life in the Sacred Angels Asylum. 

Now, this is going to be a shit show.