Chapter 7 - THE FALLOUT AND THE TRIAL
The trial didn't last long after the text messages were introduced. Facing twenty years in state prison, Thomas accepted a plea deal. He pleaded guilty to felony assault and attempted kidnapping, receiving a non-negotiable ten-year sentence in a maximum-security facility.
Travis and Megan were absolutely destroyed by the legal fees and the public humiliation. The stress of the criminal charges fractured their marriage. Megan turned on Travis to save herself, testifying against him in exchange for probation. Travis was sentenced to three years in prison for his role in the conspiracy.
Amanda, who had avoided direct jail time by claiming ignorance of the physical assault, was left entirely alone. Her husband was in prison. Her beloved son was in prison. She had lost her home to pay for their legal defense, and she was forced to move into a tiny, subsidized apartment on the outskirts of the city.
The day the final sentences were handed down, Carla stood on the courthouse steps, surrounded by reporters.
“Mrs. Osborn, do you have anything to say to your family?” a reporter shouted, thrusting a microphone forward.
May you like
Carla stepped up, her posture straight, her eyes clear. “I don't have a family inside that courthouse,” she said, her voice steady and resolute. “Those people were a biological accident. My family is at home, waiting for me. And no one will ever touch them.”
She walked down the steps, slipping into the waiting car with Spencer. As they drove away from the courthouse, the city of Phoenix seemed brighter, the sky a little bluer. The heavy, suffocating chain that had tied her to the Osborn name was finally severed. She was free.
