Chapter 19 - The Sentencing
Three weeks later, we returned to the courtroom for the final sentencing hearing.
Margaret sat in her orange county jail jumpsuit, her hair unkempt, her face pale and devoid of any makeup. She looked like a shell of the woman who had once ruled Maple Ridge high society.
I was given the opportunity to read a victim impact statement. I walked up to the podium, looking at the judge, then turning to look directly at Margaret.
"For eight years, I believed that love meant carrying the weight of an entire family," I said, my voice steady and strong. "I believed that if I worked harder, if I paid more, if I tolerated the insults and the manipulation, I would finally be accepted. But on the night of September fourteenth, I learned that some people do not want a family; they want a host. Margaret Hale did not see me as a daughter-in-law. She saw me as a source of revenue, and when that revenue stopped, she decided my life was forfeit."
I took a deep breath, feeling the solid, healed strength of my ribs.
"I do not ask for vengeance, Your Honor. I ask for justice. I ask that this court send a clear message that no family name, no social status, and no amount of historical entitlement excuses violence. Let her feel the weight of her own choices."
The judge looked at Margaret, his face grim.
"Mrs. Hale," the judge said, leaning forward. "Your actions on that night were not only violent, but they were fueled by a shocking, deeply disturbing sense of entitlement. You attempted to severely injure, if not kill, the woman who had single-handedly financed your entire existence for nearly a decade. Your lack of remorse throughout this trial has been palpable."
The judge adjusted his glasses and read the sentence.
"For the charge of Attempted Voluntary Manslaughter, I sentence you to a period of eight years in the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. For the charge of Felonious Assault, I sentence you to an additional four years, to be served concurrently. You will serve a mandatory minimum of six years before you are eligible for parole."
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Margaret collapsed into her chair, sobbing uncontrollably.
Six years. At sixty-eight years old, a six-year prison sentence was practically a life sentence for a woman of her delicate, pampered background.
