And The Wait Continues...
"Justice Delayed Is Justice Denied"
William E. Gladstone
We were set for a pre-trial hearing on August 24, 2022. I showed up to the courthouse as I have been every time since it was back open; however, the defendant did not. She supposedly got her days confused. So, that date was canceled, and a new pre-trial hearing date was set for the Tuesday before the trial was set. Once again, she is delaying the process. It was frustrating, but in my heart, I know that justice will prevail and she will get what she deserves for what she did.
Fast forward to September 27, 2022, and I'm back at the courthouse for our pre-trial hearing. I've been keeping an eye on the number of cases set for trial the following week in the court that my case is set in, and it's not looking good at all for my case to be heard. I found Alma, the victim assistance advocate, and we went into the courtroom and discussed the dates. I found out that the capital murder case that is scheduled at the same time as my case is going to go to trial, so that that mine will be moved. I could have left without finding out that day when the case was going to be rescheduled, but I want them to know that I am there for every last moment of my case, and I will be there even for the tiniest of details. We are now looking at January 30, 2023, for the trial date, with a pre-trial conference hearing scheduled for December 20, 2022, and jury selection for January 27, 2023. Currently, one case on the docket older than mine is a property damage case. Hopefully, that case will settle and drop off the docket, and mine will move up. By that time, there will be a new judge on the bench in that court and a female judge this time. I know this is before a jury of 12, but hopefully, a female judge will have a heavier hand regarding elder abuse!
I went ahead and finalized my Victim Impact Statement and submitted it to the prosecutor for their records. Now that is one less thing I have to worry about getting done. I had an attorney I work with read it, and after he finished it, he stepped into my office and said, "If you're going for impact, you hit the nail on the head!" We added what I did for my full-time job so the judge, jury, defense attorney, etc., would know why/how I came up with some of the phrases I did, but other than that, we didn't change a thing. Now I'm just ready to read it.
So at the end of that week, I went through the 3rd anniversary of finding my mother. That was Friday, October 1st, and I cried most of the way home as soon as I got in my car after work. This year has hit me harder than the others. I'm quickly coming up on what would have been my father's 83rd birthday, and I'm going to celebrate that one with a friend of mine and my son at a wine festival! The holidays will be here soon, and the Thanksgiving holiday brings what would have been mom's 80th birthday this year, but it will also bring the chance for me to finally meet (in-person) someone I have come to know through Facebook, and we have become close friends over the past two years. It will be great to be able to meet her in person finally. Then we start the new year, bringing us close to what I'm hoping will be the trial date. I don't know how long my anxiety can take this dragging out. Don't get me wrong, I'm in this for the long haul and will fight for justice for my dad until the very end, but I'm just so tired of it dragging out. We are going on two years since the incident happened with no resolution, which is aggravating. I want #justicefordennis!
