Guilty (BWWM)

Murder Was The Case

Present

Monday, June 16, 2013

11:02 a.m.

By now, Corrine's face was all over the news. Her crime was receiving a ton of media coverage due to the fact that he was an officer of the law. Not many knew about Richard's secret life, so it was rather easy to paint him as some kind of hero and Corrine as the villain. It damn sure didn't help that she was black.

The media played on propaganda, skillfully feeding off the public's underlying stereotypical feelings toward black people-or in her case, black women. Instead of showing positive images of her, photos of her mug shots were flashed across the screen every time the case was mentioned. However, Richard's name was never mentioned without the words "detective" or "man of the law" or everyone's favorite, "hero", in front of it. The only picture they ever showed were of him in his uniform from his days as an officer.

It hadn't surprised Corrine one bit as one of her old neighbors got on the stand as a witness. She almost rolled her eyes as one her neighbors told the courtroom about hearing shouting, mainly coming from Corrine, from next door. An occurrence that didn't happen. The woman's name was vaguely on her tongue, but she remembered her bringing goods to the house for Richard; always thanking him for keeping their neighborhood safe from the bad ones. Corrine vividly remembered how often she caught on to the fact the woman's underlying negative connotations were directed toward her.

Those aged, dark brown eyes always managed to follow Corrine on her morning jogs. The way her manicured hands would wave innocently through her window as she was caught and trail backwards through her thick, strawberry blonde mane in a way that should've seemed like a natural gesture, but only revealed her discomfort. Out of the corner of her eye, Corrine always watched as the inviting smile fell to tightly pursed lips, narrowed eyes, and crossed arms seeking to protect from a nonexisting threat.

"Detective Morrison, Richard, had always been a kind hearted man. He was always looking out for everyone in the neighborhood, making us all feel protected. We hardly ever saw him without a smile," she paused making it seem as though she was having a hard time continuing. Someone give this bitch an Oscar, Corrine thought as she glanced around the courtroom. These folks are eating this shit up.

"Would you say that the detective and Mrs. Morrison had a good marriage?" The hefty, old white lawyer questioned.

"He and Corrine always seemed to have the perfect marriage, until nighttime. They always had some kind of screaming match going on that could be heard miles away."

"Would you say these arguments were an everyday occurrence?"

"No, not an everyday occurrence. Of course not, they were frequent though. There were rumors that the detective was unfaithful in his marriage, so I do believe that those were the only times the arguments started."

Low whispers and the clicks of cameras were all that was heard. The lawyer, John Harring, was intentionally letting what the woman had just confessed marinate with the attendants, mainly the jury. They couldn't succeed in pinning Corrine without revealing this fact. This confession was a necessary evil, because without saying a word, they've hinted at Corrine's mens rea.

"Alright, Mrs. Ward, could you tell us about what happened that night?" Harring asked while walking with his hands behind his back.

"It started out as another argument. The shouting was nonstop between the two of them. Loud noises could be heard along with their voices. I guess they were throwing things, maybe tussling. Then I heard...nothing. It wasn't until the police pulled up that I had any clue as to what had happened."