Chapter 13 - The Criminal Trial BeginsThe state of Colorado did not take domestic violence lightly. Because of the severity of the injury and the use of a weapon (the heavy ceramic plate), the District Attorney upgraded the charges to Second-Degree Assault, a Class 4 felony carrying a mandatory prison sentence.
The trial began on a rainy Tuesday morning in November.
The courtroom gallery was packed with reporters, local business figures, and members of the Denver elite, all eager to watch the fall of the prominent family.
I sat on the witness stand, looking out at the crowd. I saw Victoria and Richard sitting in the front row, looking at me with pure venom. But I also saw Natalie, sitting on my side of the courtroom, holding a small sign of support.
The prosecutor, a sharp young woman named Ms. Carter, walked toward me.
"Valerie, can you describe the events of that evening?"
I spoke clearly, without hesitation. I detailed the pressure, the demands, the casual theft of my life's work, and finally, the violent explosion.
"Did anyone in that room attempt to help you after you were struck?" Ms. Carter asked.
"No," I replied, my voice echoing in the quiet courtroom. "No one. My father-in-law continued to drink his wine. My mother-in-law turned her head away. Only Natalie stepped in to protect me when my husband threatened to attack me again."
The defense attorney’s cross-examination was desperate and weak. He tried to paint me as a calculating woman who was looking for an excuse to ruin her husband’s family.
But then, the prosecution called their star witness: Natalie.
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Natalie took the stand and delivered the final, devastating blow to Diego's defense. She described years of emotional abuse within the family and confirmed that the attack on me was entirely intentional.
The jury took less than two hours to reach a verdict.
