He never said Katie’s name until the judge asked whether he wished to apologize to her.
He turned toward us.
Katie sat beside me, wearing a blue cardigan and holding my hand.
“I’m sorry things got out of control,” he said.
Katie looked at him for several seconds.
Then she answered quietly.
“You pushed me.
Things didn’t get out of control.
You did.”
The courtroom went silent.
The judge looked down at Andrew.
“That distinction is why you are being sentenced today.”
Barbara later pleaded guilty to forgery, obstruction, and conspiracy charges.
Her sentence was shorter, but the social image she had protected so fiercely collapsed.
The birthday guests who once laughed at her jokes learned that the party they had been invited to was designed to help conceal an attack on a child.
The gold balloons disappeared from her porch.
The banner came down.
Her house was eventually sold to cover legal expenses and restitution.
