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“We will show you that even if Blaine Roycroft believes he is telling the truth, he is not a reliable witness. We will hear from Dr. Lindsay Dweck, a professor of Cognitive and Forensic Psychology, who will testify about the factors that dilute the accuracy of eyewitness accounts, particularly in violent and chaotic events. We will hear from Officer Jordan Brown, an unbiased government official who took the original statement from Blaine Roycroft after the attack.”
Maurizio glances at me. I can tell he knows what I’m thinking. We should be calling Klein as a witness. Especially if the prosecution doesn’t plan to.
“Today, we will prove that Mateo Barone is not guilty of shooting Blaine Roycroft,” Maurizio concludes his statement.
Maurizio takes his seat next to me. The jury is hard to read. They seemed to respond well to Maurizio’s argument. But we’ll see.
After the opening statements, the DA’s office starts with their first, and seemingly only, witness. Roycroft takes the oath before Foley begins to question him.
Foley starts with questions that set up the event. Where were you during the attack? What do you recall? It’s clear they’ve rehearsed. Roycroft uses the questions to highlight the chaos and the tragedy of the attack. The worse they can make it sound, the more the jury will want someone held accountable.
Then Foley asks him about the injuries he suffered. He recounts the injuries to his leg and the timeline the doctor quoted him for full recovery.
“And how has your recovery been going?” Foley asks.
“Much better than I could have hoped,” Roycroft grins sheepishly at the jury. “I’ve been working very hard, and my physical therapist says that I may be able to switch from crutches to a cane in another month.” He smiles at the jury again.
They’re really trying to sell him as the wounded hero.
“Now,” Foley continues after a brief pause. “I’m sorry to make you relive the moments of that attack, but the jury must hear what happened. Can you recount the events that led to your injury?”
“Yes.,” Roycroft’s demeanor becomes serious and solemn. “As I mentioned, I was standing outside the courthouse, just at the bottom of the steps. I remember that they were taking prisoners down the steps to the transport vehicle.”
He pauses and swallows. Maybe he’s tapping into a fear he actually felt that day, but I have to admire his acting abilities.
“That’s when another vehicle came around the corner. Almost immediately, I heard gunfire. I remember seeing two men with masks. And a third man without a mask.”
“The third man, the one without a mask,” Foley asks, “is he in the courtroom today?”
“Yes,” Roycroft answers, looking at me.
“Can you identify the third man who was not wearing a mask?” Foley asks.
“That is him, right there,” he says, pointing at me.
“Let the record show that the witness, Blaine Roycroft, has identified the accused, Mateo Barone, as the third man who was not wearing a mask. Can you explain what you saw Mateo Barone do?”
“When I heard the van pull up, I looked over toward it. The three men jumped out, including Mateo Barone, and they started firing their weapons into the crowd.” He pauses and takes a deep, dramatic breath. “I looked at Mateo Barone, and he turned his gun on me… and he fired at me. I felt a shock of pain in my leg as the bullet hit me.
“What happened next?” Foley asks.
“I fell to the ground after I was hit. The gunfire slowed and I heard the van take off. When I looked up, the van was gone and so was Mateo Barone.”
“You saw Mateo Barone aim his firearm at you and shoot you in the leg?” Foley confirms.
“That is correct.”
“Is this the same testimony you provided the police the day of the attack?” Foley asks.
“No,” Roycroft admits. “The police interviewed me in the hospital. I don’t remember much of that interview. To be honest, I was still in shock. And I was medicated for the wound in my leg.”
“Thank you,” Foley says. “And why did you come forward with this testimony now?”
“As I recovered,” he says, “I started to remember the event more clearly. I recognized Mateo Barone when I saw a picture of him at the District Attorney’s office. I contacted the police department immediately and told them what I had remembered. That I saw Mateo Barone during the attack and that he was the one who shot me.”
“Thank you, Mr. Roycroft.” Foley pauses, then turns toward Judge Korbel. “No further questions your honor.”
Korbel nods toward Maurizio, “Do you want to cross examine the witness?”
