Page 129 of The First Gentleman

CHAPTER 125

A fter a ten-minute recess, it’s the defense’s turn.

Having seen how good a defense attorney Tess Hardy is, I imagine she’s saved her best for last.

She takes her time approaching the lectern.

She smiles at the jury.

Like Bastinelli, she looks each one in the eye.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I first want to thank you for your work on this trial and the close attention you’ve paid to it. I understand that jury duty is an inconvenience and, in your case, an actual hardship. You’ve put your personal and work lives on hold and endured isolation from your friends and families. And for that, we are all grateful. I hope that the hardship will not last much longer. And I don’t think it will. Because the verdict in this case is so simple and clear.”

Hardy walks to the center of the courtroom.

“Let’s start with the obvious and sad fact that Suzanne Bonanno was killed. That is a tragedy. A promising life cut short. And there is a feeling—it’s a human reaction—that somebody must pay. And that feeling can be even stronger when the victim is young and innocent and beautiful. I get it, ladies and gentlemen. I feel it too.”

She turns to look directly at Cole.

“But you will not find Suzanne’s killer here on trial. There is no direct evidence linking my client to this young woman’s death. No fingerprints, no DNA, no witnesses, no murder weapon.

“Now, we did see a surveillance video of Suzanne Bonanno and Cole Wright together on the night she disappeared.

And the prosecution has insinuated that my client was the last person to see her alive.

But we don’t know who Suzanne saw last. We can’t even say with certainty exactly how or when she died.

All we know is that after she and Cole Wright parted that evening, there is no known record of her further movements or contacts.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the prosecution spent a lot of time on those mysterious blue sheets. Where they were made, how they were made, who made them, who sold them, who bought them—as if that formed some chain of evidence. It does not.

“Suzanne’s bones were wrapped in a sheet when they were found in the trunk of a car.

That sheet was sold by Walmart.

Beyond that, we know nothing for certain.

Mr. Bastinelli wants you to draw a direct line from a checkout counter to a grave, but the connection is not there.

We don’t know who bought the sheets those bones were wrapped in.

Or when.”

Hardy continues dismantling the arguments about the bracelet and watch, arguing that their presence in the dirt did not directly link her client to Suzanne’s death.

“I’m sure you’ll remember, ladies and gentlemen, that the prosecution ended their case with a photograph showing my client with his hands on a person pretending to be a cheerleader. Again, they’re trying to get you to draw a line—in this case, from that unfortunate prank to an actual murder. The link is not there. My client acknowledged he was in that photograph. He explained it. He apologized for it. In my opinion, it should never have been shown, but I was overruled. It has no connection to what happened to Suzanne Bonanno. None whatsoever.”

Hardy looks at each of the jurors again.

“Later today,” she says, “the judge will give you your instructions. He will remind you of the legal definition of reasonable doubt . He will remind you that a defendant must not be convicted on suspicion or speculation. It is not enough for the State to show that the defendant is probably guilty. The State has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The State has not met that standard. Not even close.”

The defense attorney continues, speaking soberly.

“At the beginning of this case, I told you that I believed that this was a political trial, and nothing we’ve heard here in this courtroom has dispelled that belief. You’ll recall that the prosecution talked about the advantages of fame and celebrity. I’d like to suggest that there are dis advantages. I believe that Cole Wright is sitting in that defendant’s chair not because of anything he did, but because of who he is. An easy target. A big prize. A head for somebody’s wall. Don’t fall for it, ladies and gentlemen.”

She walks over to the defense table and points directly at Cole Wright.

“This is a famous man, no doubt. An influential man. A powerfully connected man. But he is also an innocent man.”

Hardy gives the jury one final nod, then walks behind the defense table and sits down.

In full view, she reaches over to squeeze Cole’s hand.

He looks somber and grateful.

Bastinelli hasn’t been left much room to maneuver in his rebuttal.

“Ladies and gentlemen, you’ve heard from me, you’ve heard from Ms. Hardy, you’ve heard from Judge Dow. You’ve heard from expert witnesses and state troopers and detectives. You’ve heard from people whose lives intersected with this case. You even heard, very briefly, from the defendant. But the one person you haven’t heard from is Suzanne Bonanno.”

He clicks the controller and puts up the picture of Suzanne—not the one in her cheerleading uniform; the one where she’s sitting at home laughing.

“As you begin your deliberations, please keep Suzanne alive in your minds. You’re the only ones who can speak for her now.”