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According to the report, the courtroom was filled on a gray Tuesday morning in Seattle, Washington. Media crews lined the back walls, cameras focused on the proceedings that were about to unfold. The public gallery was packed with spectators who had followed the case for months, drawn by its tragic nature and the mystery that surrounded it. At the prosecution table sat Assistant District Attorney Rachel Morrison, a veteran prosecutor known for her meticulous preparation and calm demeanor. Beside her were detectives who had worked the case since the beginning, their folders thick with evidence and testimony.
The report also stated that across the aisle sat defense attorney Thomas Pierce, a skilled public defender who had taken on one of the most challenging cases of his career. And at a small table between the two sides sat fifteen-year-old Amanda Hayes, flanked by victim advocates and a counselor. Amanda wore a simple dress and had tissues clutched in her hands. Her eyes were red from crying, and she occasionally dabbed at them as she waited for the hearing to begin. She looked like what she was supposed to be—a traumatized teenager who had lost her mother to violence and was now caught up in the legal proceedings surrounding that loss.
This was a victim impact hearing, scheduled before the sentencing of the person accused of murdering Amanda's mother, Catherine Hayes. Or at least, that's what most people in the courtroom believed was happening. What they didn't know was that Judge Patricia Sullivan was about to reveal a truth that would shock everyone present and transform the proceedings into something entirely different: that it was the teen daughter who killed her mother.
The report also stated that across the aisle sat defense attorney Thomas Pierce, a skilled public defender who had taken on one of the most challenging cases of his career. And at a small table between the two sides sat fifteen-year-old Amanda Hayes, flanked by victim advocates and a counselor. Amanda wore a simple dress and had tissues clutched in her hands. Her eyes were red from crying, and she occasionally dabbed at them as she waited for the hearing to begin. She looked like what she was supposed to be—a traumatized teenager who had lost her mother to violence and was now caught up in the legal proceedings surrounding that loss.
This was a victim impact hearing, scheduled before the sentencing of the person accused of murdering Amanda's mother, Catherine Hayes. Or at least, that's what most people in the courtroom believed was happening. What they didn't know was that Judge Patricia Sullivan was about to reveal a truth that would shock everyone present and transform the proceedings into something entirely different: that it was the teen daughter who killed her mother.