"Did your investigation uncover evidence of intent?" Kane asked
"Yes sir. We obtained text messages from the defendant's pone. In those text messages, he told his roommate and lover what he had done. He also instructed the roommate not to speak with the police. Now his lawyer wants to spin this into an insanity plea? That's absurd, this very act was cold and calculated it wasn't don by an insane person and…"
"Objection!" Paul interjected, "He's a police officer not a psychiatrist, there is no way he can access the mental state of my client,"
"Objection sustained, Detective, stick to your field." The judge replied
Paul scribbled some words on his notepad, even though the judge struck the last testimony out, the Judge and the people still heard it. It was probably that snake Prosecutor that told him to say that, trying to poke holes in the defense even before he began defending.
"Detective, one last thing. Was this crime committed in public view?"
"Yes. In front of students, parents, and children. Anyone in the crowd could've been hit if the shot had gone astray. It created mass panic. Dozens could have been trampled to death in the aftermath."
Kane turned slightly, facing the judge now. His voice sharpened, "So to summarize, Detective: The defendant fired a weapon into a crowd, killed a public figure in front of children, left his fingerprints on the rooftop and weapon, and then attempted to conceal evidence. And afterward, he confessed to his roommate and tried to cover it up."
"That's correct."
Kane gave a curt nod, "No further questions at this time, your honor," he then calmly returned to his seat.
Judge Graff turned his eyes toward Paul Goodman, "Mr. Goodman, your witness."
Paul Goodman rose, he buttoned his jacket, walked toward the witness stand, and stopped just far enough to keep the air between him and the Detective tense.
"Detective Mendez, first let me thank you for your years of service. Fifteen years in homicide, that's not an easy job."
Mendez gave a stiff nod, "no it wasn't"
"In those fifteen years, you've seen all kinds of killings. Premeditated, spur of the moment, crimes of passion. Would you agree?"
"Yes."
"And some killers… they're organized, precise, careful. Others… less so. Sloppy. Erratic. Would you agree?"
"Yes."
Paul took a step closer
"Now, you testified that my client left his DNA on the rooftop ledge. He left fingerprints on the weapon. He ditched the weapon in a bush near the scene of the crime. Detective, in your professional experience, does that sound like the word of a calculating mastermind? Or does it sound like someone acting recklessly, without thought of consequence."
Mendez hesitated, jaw tightening, "It… was careless, yes. But the act itself was deliberate."
Paul nodded, "careless, reckless. Thank you. Now… those text messages. You testified Tyler Robson confessed to his roommate, and then told him not to speak to the police. Is that correct?"
"Correct"
"Detective, help me understand this. A man who has just killed one of the most famous people in the world, one of the most high-profile crimes imaginable, confessed it in a text message? Leaves a written record of his own guilt? Does that strike you as rational behavior?"
Mendez shifted slightly in the chair, "…it was reckless,"
"Reckless. Yes. Not rational. Not the actions of a man thinking clearly, is it?"
"Objection, calls for speculation." Kane interrupted
"Sustained. Rephrase, Mr. Goodman," the judge replied
Paul adjusted smoothly, nodded, and then he continued, "Detective, based only on what you personally observed: the rooftop prints, the discarded rifle, the discarded rifle, the incriminating text messages, would you agree these were mistakes? Serious mistakes?"
"Yes, serious mistakes."
"Thank you detective, no further questions." Paul Goodman quietly returned to his table.
"How are we doing so far?" Tyler whispered to Paul, the man didn't try to negate any of the evidence the detective brought up. He straight up ignored all of them, and then he pivoted back to the insanity plea. It was smart, there was no way he could dismantle the evidence, it would've been a waste of time if he tried.
"This is just the first witness testimony," Paul replied, "They are going to throw a lot at us today, I hope you are ready to bear them."
"They can bring it," Tyler replied
"Mr. Kane, call your next witness." The judge announced and Marcus Kane stood, his tone brisk
"The people call Dr. Evelyn Carter."
A woman in her mid forties, precise and composed, entered the stand. She wore a dark blazer, her hair pulled back. After being sworn in, she adjusted the microphone and folded her hands neatly.
"Dr. Carter, please state your name and occupation for the record." Marcus Kane said,
"My name is Dr. Evelyn Carter. I'm a forensic scientist with the state crime laboratory, specializing in ballistic and trace evidence. I've been in the field for eighteen years."
"Dr. Carter did you conduct forensic testing in relation to the murder of Charlie Kuck?"
"Yes I did,"
"Let's begin with the weapon. What testing did you perform?"
"We recovered a rifle near the rooftop of the humanities building. My team conducted fingerprint analysis, DNA swabbing, and ballistic testing. Fingerprints on the rifle matched Tyler Robson. Ballistic striation analysis confirmed the bullet recovered from the victim's body was fired from that rifle."
Kane spoke slowly this time, to give his words more weight, "so to be clear, the very rifle that killed Charlie Kuck was found near the rooftop, bearing Tyler Robson's fingerprints."
"That is correct."
"Now, the crime scene itself, did you test any evidence from the rooftop?"
"Yes, fingerprints lifted from the ledge and shell castings matched Tyler Robson."
Paul tried to read the judge, but his face remained as stony as it was since he walked into the courtroom. He hasn't been moved yet, yes, all this proved Tyler did the killing, but does it warrant a death sentence… So far, the prosecutor had not been able to make a case for that, Marcus Kane needed to do more than raw hard evidence.