Chapter 14: The Trial of Preston Bennett
Chapter 14: The Trial of Preston Bennett
While the federal white-collar trial for Richard was being prepared, Preston’s state criminal trial for the assault on Sophie arrived first.
The courtroom was packed. Sophie was not required to testify—Clara and the prosecutor fought hard to protect her from the trauma—but the security video was played once again for the jury.
Preston’s defense team tried to argue temporary insanity caused by extreme stress and substance abuse. They brought in a psychiatrist who testified that Preston was under immense pressure from his father’s financial collapse, causing a psychotic break.
Then, the prosecution called me to the stand.
I walked up to the witness box, took the oath, and looked directly at the jury. For two hours, I testified not just about the night of the wedding, but about the thirty years that led up to it. I told them about a family dynamic where one child was a god and the other was a servant. I told them how Preston had been rescued from hit-and-runs, academic expulsions, and fraud charges throughout his life, all swept under the rug by Richard Bennett’s checkbook.
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"This wasn't a temporary break from reality," I told the jury, my voice steady and resonant. "This was the natural conclusion of a lifetime of zero consequences. Preston Bennett believed he could break a little girl's skull because he had been taught his entire life that human beings were disposable, and his family name made him a god."
The defense had no cross-examination. My testimony had stripped away any lingering sympathy for the golden boy.
