GEWALY ART

Jerry and Daniel sat at the defendant’s table watching as the trial played out. Each of them had previously presented his testimony twice, once for the Assistant DA and once for the defense. David, Daniel’s fifteen-year-old brother, was currently on the stand sharing his recollection of the incident in question. It was his return trip to the witness chair. The three boys’ attorney, the Honorable George Watts of Leesville, Louisiana, was asking the questions.

Even though it was a juvenile hearing, the proceedings were surprisingly formal. The accuser, Mark Fredrick, sat on the other side of the rails just behind the Assistant DA, the debatably Honorable Alex Draper of Shreveport, Louisiana. The suspected juvenile offenders— Jerry and Daniel, who were each sixteen years of age, and David—shared the defendant’s table with Mr. Watts. A handful of spectators were randomly seated in the gallery, including several very concerned parents. A court reporter sat at a small rickety pine desk next to the witness chair, pecking away at the stenograph machine, while a noticeably fidgety security guard stood restlessly off to one side. As this was a bench trial, the jury seats off to the left remained empty. In the middle of it all, behind a massive, elaborately adorned hickory bench, loomed the judge.

His Honor, DeSoto Parish’s own Albert W. Harmon, presided. At first glance, Judge Harmon could have been anyone’s kind, loving grandpa. He was a large, jovial-looking fellow with thick jowls and a round balding head. His soft blue eyes sparkled behind rectangular-shaped eyeglass frames. Aside from the lack of a beard and mustache, he could easily pass for Saint Nick. However, looks don’t always portray demeanor. When the good judge took his seat behind the bench, any illusions of a doting, merciful father figure were quickly and unquestionably thrown out of court. Albert W. Harmon was all business. The courtroom was his kingdom, and he sternly and ceremoniously ruled, wielding his gavel like a royal scepter.

David finished his testimony and was released from the stand to return to the defendant’s table. Mr. Watts informed the judge that the defense rested and took his designated seat with the boys. Quietly, the attorney and the three young men huddled to discuss the proceedings. A fourth young man, John Davis, leaned far across the rail separating the audience from the legal participants, and listened intently to the conversation that was taking place.

John had a special interest in the trial; he wasn’t a defendant in this case, but he was involved in the incident. He was a participant in the alleged crime, and he too would eventually stand trial. However, John was not a minor. John had turned eighteen years of age exactly one month before the event in question. Unfortunately for him, in Louisiana eighteen was the age that separated boys from men in the eyes of the judicial system. His hearing, in a full-fledged adult court of law, would take place in about a month later. John was interested in this case—extremely interested—because it would establish a legal precedent for his impending day in court.

Continued...

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