Prosecutor: State your name for the court, please.
Sarah: Sarah Elizabeth Jenkins.
Four months later, the downtown federal courtroom was packed to maximum capacity. Sunlight streamed through the tall glass windows, casting long shadows across the oak benches. Amanda sat at the defense table wearing an orange jumpsuit, her hair unwashed and her face thin and pale. Beside her sat her mother, also wearing prison garb.
Prosecutor: Miss Jenkins, please describe what you saw in the prep pantry on the morning of October 12th.
Sarah: I was setting up the extra crystal glasses for the reception. I saw Amanda Sterling walk into the private cart area carrying two champagne glasses. She looked around to see if anyone was watching, pulled a glass bottle out of her gown, and crushed two pills into Mr. David Vance's glass.
Prosecutor: And what did you do next?
Sarah: I pulled out my phone and recorded the entire action from behind the curtain. Then I ran out onto the altar deck and slapped the glass out of his hand before he could take a sip.
Defense Lawyer: Objection, Your Honor! The witness is a low-level employee who was paid by the Vance family after the incident!
Judge: Overruled! The witness's video evidence has been fully authenticated by forensic digital experts.
Prosecutor: We also present into evidence the toxicology report from the state crime lab. The liquid contained fatal levels of potassium cyanide—enough to cause total heart failure within forty-five seconds of consumption.
The jury gasped softly, looking over at Amanda with cold, disgusted expressions.
Prosecutor: No further questions for this witness, Your Honor.
David sat in the front row of the gallery alongside his father, holding a thick leather briefcase. He stood up when called to the stand by the state prosecutor.
Prosecutor: Mr. Vance, did you have any idea your fiancée was planning to end your life on your wedding day?
David: None at all. She had been pressing me for months to finalize a new ten-million-dollar life insurance policy naming her as the sole beneficiary upon marriage.
Prosecutor: And did you sign that agreement?
David: I signed it three days before the ceremony, assuming we were building a lifelong future together.
Prosecutor: Thank you, Mr. Vance. That concludes our testimony.
The judge looked down over his glasses at the defense table, his voice grave and solemn.
Judge: Amanda Sterling and Evelyn Sterling, step forward for sentencing.
Amanda and her mother stood up, their knees trembling as they faced the bench.
Judge: The evidence against both of you is overwhelming and chilling. You planned the cold-blooded execution of an innocent man for financial gain on what was meant to be his happiest day. Amanda Sterling, I sentence you to twenty-five years in state prison without the possibility of parole. Evelyn Sterling, for funding and organizing this plot, I sentence you to thirty years.
Amanda collapsed into her chair, sobbing uncontrollably as the bailiffs immediately stepped forward to put heavy leg irons around her ankles.