VENTURES: A Few Good Cases

PRELUDE- Federal District Court- Last Wednesday

Federal Judge Saul Bellicheck addressed the Attorneys who were before him...

Federal Public Defender, Sean Marks, INNOCENCE PROJECT ATTORNEYS , Jessica Sanchez- Burrows and her husband, Charles "Chip" Burrows...

And Attorneys, Olivia Bennett-Alexander, Her niece, Beverly West-East, her husband, Nelson East, Josie Boyd , Bresha Billips and Investigator, Donnie Ray Alexander..

And Attorneys from McCluskey /Cozen/Connor & Pratt, Yvette Jones Lockwood, Keith Jones, Beatrice Evans-Jones, Sofia Garcia-Ahmed, Kahlil Ahmed and Jade Lee Ho...

They had all taken part in a lawsuit that challenged The Federal Sentencing of Life without Parole for people convicted of crimes under 18...They were representing four clients wrongfully convicted of a murder when they were under the age of 18....

"You attorneys have done your research and your arguments are incredibly good... I am ruling that the law giving your clients Life with no parole , given to them while they were under 18 is in fact un just and they are eligible for new trials and or a review of their convictions by the Wrongful Conviction Unit..." said Judge Bellicheck...

Federal Public defender Sean Marks and the three teams had been working jointly for a month on behalf of these four men...four seperate cases , but all four convicted while under the age of 18 and sentenced to Life without Parole... Now in their late 20's and early 30's they had hope of new trials and hope of being exonerated...

TODAY-

In The Bridge Building at the Wrongful Conviction Unit Office-

Karen Page addressed her young Staff Attorneys...

"Guys as you all know..Last week the Federal Government struck down the law where people convicted of murder while under the age of 18 will receive Life without parole sentences... This has opened up four new cases of people who have been wrongly convicted in the first place. Brookie, you'll be working with your husband on a case he has reopened successfully...Can you handle that? " asked Karen..

"Oh Yes...Yes... I've got it..." said Brooke.

"Good , Good, You get to work with Hubby..." said Karen.... Natalie.. you'll be working with our upstairs neighbors, Yvette Jones -Lockwood and her guys on a case.." said Karen..

''Excellent..."said Natalie..

"And David, you'll be working with the Innocence Project down the hall, Jessica and Chip...I'll be working with Olivia and Beverly.." said Karen.

"Okay, Cool." said David Charles...

"Okay, you have your assignments, get with your people and bone up on your upcoming cases.." said Karen...

In The Cafeteria... Natalie sat down next to her husband of a few weeks..

"Baby, I want to run something by you....I uh shouldn't even bring this up....but it's a case that's bothered me... I know we have four cases coming up...but I'd like to review a case from the past., my past!..and I may need you to back me."said Natalie.

"Of course...You know I've always got your back..."said David..

"Years ago...It was the year I graduated from Law school in D.C. I came home for a few days....I hadn't even taken the bar yet... A kid from my old neighborhood, the brother of uh a guy I used to date was arrested and convicted of a triple murder... Nobody thought he actually did it.. but he was convicted in a sensational trial...and sentenced to three life sentences , no parole...The case bothered me, but there was nothing I could do....I hadn't passed the bar yet...Hell, I hadn't taken the bar yet....but I knew this kid, Teddy Bellamy...My ex-boyfriend's younger brother...He was no killer...After I passed the bar and became an attorney, I looked in on his case a few times...He was represented by a Public Defender, Fritz Thompson who wasn't too adept and were easily intimidated... They mishandled his case and the Prosecutor , was more interested in getting a conviction and furthering his career than justice.. The case bothered me.. but I lived and worked in D.C.

"The week before we got married...I was with Beverly, Josie, Kayla and Jazzy in the mall and I ran into his sister, I used to date his older brother., He's locked up now too in federal prison..another story for another day,Anyway....We talked...I told him I was about to get married and that I was a Staff Attorney for the Wrongful Conviction Unit... She told me about Teddy...Teddy has an 18 year old son, who was born shortly after he went off to prison..He's only seen him from behind bars... Teddy has become a jailhouse lawyer and has appealed his conviction several times and has failed..

Throughout his ordeal, he has maintained his innocence, but was unable to get anyone to listen until the Federal Court’s decision to do away with mandatory life-without-parole sentences for children, entitling him to a resentencing hearing.

After we wrap up these four cases...I'd like to see if I could do something for him.." said Natalie.

"I'll back you...You know that!" said David..

"OUUUUUUUUU THAT'S WHY I LOVE YOU!" said Natalie..

"And I thought it was because I am a reasonably intelligent, successful attorney with a big penis, who wants to put it inside you constantly.." David joked.

Natalie laughed... "Ummmmmmmmmm that too baby!" she said..

and have him a big kiss and got up and ran to the serving line....

II-

At Curley's Bar... William "Bull" Bailey, Former Homicide Lieutenant, Former Federal Investigator, Now a Check out/Check in attendant at Valhalla Women's Correctional Facility and Homicide Lt. Tragg sat at the bar, whining and complaining about their lives as usual and watching HARD BOTTOM with B.L. Benz

"I Hate that guy....I used to like that show, when you were on it Artie...but now...He's taken a radical left wing swing..." scoffed a bitter and angry "Bull" Bailey....

"I know...I'd like to deck him everytime I see him." snarled Lt. Tragg...

B.L. Benz was interviewing Olivia Bennett-Alexander and her team of niece, Beverly West and her niece's husband, Nelson East, and associate attorneys Josie Boyd and Bresha Billips and Olivia's husband, Donnie Ray Alexander. about their latest case and how a recent ruling ending life sentences for people arrested under the age of 18, made it possible for their latest defense of a former teen suspect.."

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT...I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!! MY FATHER MADE THAT COLLAR!!! IT WAS HIS LAST CASE!!! OUUUUUUUUU!" snarled Lt. Tragg.

"DON'T EVEN TALK TO ME ABOUT THAT BUNCH....THEY'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR WHY I'M CHECKING PEOPLE IN AND OUT OF A WOMEN'S PRISON TODAY AND THE FACT THAT I LOST MY FEDERAL PENSION....I DESPISE THEM!!"snarled Bull Bailey...

Next he interviewed Yvette Jones-Lockwood and her team, Keith Jones, his wife, Bee Bee Evans-Jones, Sofia Garcia-Ahmed, Kahlil Ahmed and Jade Lee Ho..who also had a case in which their client benefited from the latest ruling...He too had been convicted when he was 18 and sentenced to life no parole for a case that today seemed riddled with shoddy investigation, witness tampering and witness intimidation...unfortunately, the ADA and the arresting officer were now deceased.

"Miz Big Tits and her mixed bag of nuts...A Soul Brother, Soul Sister, A Spica Rican, A Sand Monkey and a Chink...Wowwwww look at that!" snarled Bull Bailey... He was long suspected of being a racist and most of the Black Detectives and Officers who had served under him despised him.

Lt. Tragg laughed....

Lastly, B.L. interviewed The Two Innocence Project Attorneys who initiated the suit in the first place on behalf of their client, also convicted under the age of 18 , receiving a life sentence and Federal Public Defender , Sean Marks..who was in the same predicament...

"That last monkey...Sean Marks... I remember him from when I was a Federal Investigator..He's a U.S. Attorney....He works in the Federal Building...He's the guy that got Brooke... Can you believe that?? He got Brooke" said Bull Bailey who had had a thing for Brooke Kennedy

For years.....

Lt. Tragg had had a thing for her too! He was really angry seeing Brooke in the car ,kissing Sean, but he didn't know the man and had never so much as had a conversation with him the few times he had seen him...

Both men sat at the counter..

Downing beers and whining and complaining......

III-

As fate would have it... Brooke's case came up first... She got to work with her husband, Federal Public Sean Marks for the first time...She found she liked working with him and watching him handle himself in court got her more aroused than she could imagine...She knew what Natalie said about working with David and how aroused she got watching him handle himself... They prepared well and found they worked very good together.

They had a bench trial, rather than a jury trial and the distinguished Black Judge, who had lectured at Middleton Law school when Brooke attended reversed the initial conviction and set the young man free, who had been locked up for the past five years...

It was a sparkling victory for them...The man's family, His Mother, Father, three sisters and younger brother cheered and cried tears of joy... They didn't think their Son and brother would ever see the light of day again...

It was good for Brooke and Sean too, who couldn't stop kissing after the courtroom cleared..

"Is there someplace we could go in private Sean, I mean right now?" asked Brooke..

Sean, who was as horny as she was ,suggested an empty Judges Chambers..

As they continued to kiss..

Bull Bailey just happened to be visiting his old stomping grounds and witnessed the two's Public Display of Affection afterwords... He was livid...

They closed the door of the empty Judge's Chambers and locked it...

If you stood close, you could hear the hot smouldering kisses...and moans...

You could almost hear pants unzippering...Heavy breathing...A dress coming off...

panties slipping down

and Brooke being lifted up and Sean slowly entering her and she gasping...

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"she cooed..

"OHHHHHHHHHHHH!! AWWWWWWWWWWWWWW" and Sean's soft moans....

As he placed her on a desk ,spread her legs and slowly and gently entered her again........Brooke's body trembling....

"OH MY GODDDD!" she whispered loudly...

"UMMMMMMMMMMMM BROOKIE, I LOVE YOUUU!" Sean moaned..

"I love you, I love you too!" she whispered, trying to catch her breath

Bull Bailey was sooo furious,he could hear it all.... "SON OF A BITCH!!" he said loudly.....He kicked a trash can so hard, it dented...Which caused Federal Security Police to escort him out of the building...

ONE HOUR AND A HALF LATER!

Brooke and Sean exited the building.. His work was done for the day...He was going to walk her back to her building and spend the rest of the day with her..

Brooke had fixed her hair, Put her lipstick and make up back on and walking hand and hand with her husband, Her Black husband Sean

Oblivious to an angry and seething Bull Bailey standing across the street watching them until they were out of sight..

He had wanted Brooke so bad, so bad he could almost taste her sometimes...Seeing her with her husband for some strange reason made him want her even more.

ONE WEEK LATER-

The second and third cases ironically ran the same week and the same time in different courtrooms..

The first, which included Karen Page with Olivia, Beverly, Nelson, Josie, Bresha and Donnie Ray was run in Courtroom A. with Judge Keith Morrison presiding..

Lt. Tragg found the time to be at every court hearing.... Part of it was because he got to see ADA Karen Page, who he'd had a burning thing for...

The original Prosecutor, Harold "Hangman" Hawkins appeared and attempted to retry the case again... Like most Olivia and Beverly cases..This was well researched and well investigated,,, and a Jury of 12 found the defendent not guilty of all charges....He was released immediately...Thus notching the Wrong Conviction Unit's 359th Victory...

"Tough Break in there Harry, they twist and turn the law around to suit them...they do it everytime."said Lt. Tragg...

"Your dad brought in a weak and suspect case even then...I kept telling him to recanvass, to bring me more witnesses, to get me something....I cut a few corners and twisted a few arms to get a conviction...They just discovered it, that's all and they won....Damn it, they won..." said Hangman Hawkins as he stormed out of the courtroom...

Down the Hall in another courtroom

Natalie was trying her first case under her new name.. Mrs. Natalie Charles..

assisted by Yvette Jones-Lockwood, Keith Jones, Beatrice Evans-Jones, Sofia Garcia-Ahmed and Kahlil Ahmed with Jade Lee-Ho.

Judge Jetty Dukes was presiding... These attorneys had handed Natalie and her friend Brooke their first defeat as Prosecutors...but as friends and associates they all worked better together than they did as foes...They were like a fine tuned machine... and a jury of 12 found the young lady they were representing NOT GUILTY! she was released immediately after spending nearly three years incarcerated.. Her mother and Father and her fiance, who had waited for her for three years, hoping she be freed one day, writing to every lawyer he could think of until the Innocence Project and the Wrongful Conviction Unit listened and hired attorneys clapped ,hugged all of the attorneys and cried tears of joy...They had notched the unit's 360th victory......

Natalie's husband, David Charles, whose case wasn't up for another week

and her best friend, Brooke Marks were there in the audience to cheer them on...

"This is outstanding...Outstanding...360 wins for this unit..The Most rewarding work of my life...I'm grateful for all of you and the close friendships we share.. Breakfast is on me at Sam Mother's Diner." said Karen...

They all walked over to Sam Mother's Diner..

Shrimp and Grits

Buttermilk Biscuits and Gravy

Waffles

French Toast

Pancakes

Omelettes to order

An everything omelette

Hash browns

sausage

Orange Juice

and hot coffee was ordered....

A good down Home Breakfast was served at Sam Mothers...

The Victorious Attorneys practically took over the diner..

At one big table, Beverly, her husband, Nelson, Keith Jones, Beatrice Evans-Jones, Natalie and David Charles sat, awaiting their food.

"Always nice when a successful case ends."said Beverly.

''Nice when a case ends period."said Nelson.

"I hear ya, but it's equally nice when you get the win."said Keith Jones.

"Ummmmmmm I'm going to go home and get out of these heels..."said Bee Bee.

"I hear you girl."said Natalie who turned to her husband...."Well you're up next week." she said.

David Whispered in her ear... ''Actually I'm up right now!" he said ,smiling raffishly..

"OUUUUUUUUUUUU! you are so badddd..." she laughed and gave him a kiss.

Right behind them, Sofia, her husband, Kahlil, Josie,joined by her husband, Paris today and Brooke, Bresha and Tony, who joined her today sat together.

"Here comes our orders." said Sofia.

''And just in time...I'm starving." said Kahlil.

''I am too!"said Josie

Glad that her husband, Paris could join her today...

Brooke smiled, she was happy to be surrounded by all of her new friends...

Judge Jetty Dukes chose to sit and eat with the "youngins" today...

"UMMMMMMMMMM UMMMMPH, LAWD, THIS IS SOME GOOD EATIN." he said.

Bresha laughed at the way he was enjoying his food..

So did her husband, Tony, who had joined her today....

And at the table behind them... Karen sat with her good friends from law school, Olivia and her husband, Donnie Ray and Yvette.. Jade sat with them too!

"Like I said...I am grateful for all of you guys and happy I could get you some money from the city..."said Karen..

The City was paying for Olivia and Beverly and Yvette and her crew's services...

"Believe me we are happy too to be getting paid...but for you, we'd do it for free.."laughed Olivia.

"Butttt what my wife means is it's nice to get a city check for a case we would probably have had to take pro bono."said Donnie Ray, smiling.

They all laughed.

''Look at us Karen...I remember when you lived across the hall from me and Olivia in law school and used to borrow stuff from us..Hair Spray, Tooth Paste..and now look at you, paying us.." said Yvette..

As all three women and Jade laughed as their plates of hot breakfast food was served..

Jade looked up... "Oh Hell...Whyyyyyyy, Whyyyyyyyy can't we come in here once without seeing him?" she lamented.

Lt. Tragg walked in....Naturally he saw all of us eating and had to stop by the area we were eating and offer his unsolicited commentary.

"WELL , WELLLLL, WELLLLLL IF IT ISN'T THE LAWYERS.....The protecters of civil liberties...You happy...You just let two criminals back on the streets today....Murderers, serving life no parole...Happy with yourselves?" he asked.

"Don't you ever work? You know you don't have to hang around the courthouse the way you do...You could be out actually solving some crimes or arresting the wrong person."said Jade..

All three tables exploded into loud ,raucous laughter....

Thin skinned Lt. Tragg did not like being the butt of the joke..and he especially didn't like seeing

Both Karen Page and Brooke among those laughing.....

"If it's the last thing I do...I'm going to pull your license one day and shut your smart mouth up." he said to Jade..

"Ouuuuuuuuuu I'm shaking in my high heels..."said Jade defiantly to him...

We all kept eating and talking amongst ourselves and said nothing more to him.....Occassionally laughing loudly..

He turned and stormed out of the diner in a huff.

''Well it's gonna be a good day after all."said Olivia.

"Liv...I do believe that is a sign."said Karen..

Yvette smiled...

IV-

At home , Natalie and David relaxed....

''We knocked these cases off pretty fast...Your case is next and lucky you...It's in our conference room downstairs...You won't have to go to Federal or City court..." said Natalie....

"Yeah and the quicker we wrap this up...The quicker we can get started on your case..." said David...

"Yes.....Thank you so much for agreeing to back me...You will be just coming off your case...Are you ready?" asked Natalie.

"Oh Yeah...I'm ready...Jessica, Chip

and I worked at Olivia and Beverly's house part of the time

and up in Yvette's office

the rest of the time..

Ms. Alfreda was glad for the company....

So was Ms. Virginia, since you guys were in court.

We are more than ready next week...I won't get treated to breakfast at Sam Mother's but I won't have to deal with Lt. Tragg either...Brooke told me her and Sean saw old Bull Bailey hanging around the court during their case..."said David.

"He's been wanting to get in her panties for years....in the worst way." laughed Natalie... "Kinda like you with regards to me.." she laughed...

''Speaking of which...."laughed David.

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM YESSSSSSS, SPEAKING OF WHICH!!!" said Natalie as she engulfed David in a hot smouldering kiss...

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU BABY!" said David....

He helped her out of her clothes....

He slipped her panties down slowly.......Natalie's legs shook in anticipation...

David Spread her legs and slowly entered Natalie...She gasped...and hung on to him for dear life...

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU DAVID, YOU'VE GOT ME SOOO SPOILED....MEOOOOOOOOWWWWWWW!" cooed Natalie..

"I can't believe this...Oh My Goddddddd!" said David..who was near delirium....

Natalie kissed him slowly and softly.....

"UMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM NATALIE!!!!" he moaned..

Natalie had an intense orgasm while David humped her over the bed......She pulled him toward her and moaned .........

Their bed was squeaking something fierce and the headboard was sounding as if it might crack...Natalie had had this bed since she was a teenager....It had had some workouts,,,but none like this... EIGHT TO NINE HOURS WENT BY.....before both of them climaxed...

Natalie lie across David's chest, breathing slowly....

"Ouuuuuuuu...Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm David..." she cooed.

David rubbed her butt softly...

"I love you Natalie.." he whispered as he was going to sleep.

"I love you too!" she said.

A WEEK LATER-

David's Trial was held in the conference room belonging to the building.

Jetty Dukes was the Judge, once again. as he had been for Natalie and her group......

Karen sat in to view the proceedings....

David Charles, Jessica and Chip did not disappoint, they put on a passionate defense......

It didn't go unnoticed by their fellow attorneys ,who stood outside m watching the proceedings

"Wow, if I was in trouble....I'd want those three defending me..."said Jazzy, who was quite impressed.

"They are lawyering the hell out of this case.." said Dabnis.

"Their case is the only one that didn't have to go to court...."said Kayla.

"My baby is putting on a show."said Natalie, beaming with pride.

"Man this looks like game ,set ,match!" said Ray..

"They did their research." said Tony..

"They worked with Olivia and Beverly and Yvette and her crew...I know they prepared well.."said Brooke, who was also watching...

In the long run......like the others, David, Jessica and Chip were successful....They got all of the charges tossed out and their client freed from custody immediately.... Like the others, his family, his wife, his mother, his brothers , his sister were all there and all cheered loudly, thanking us for freeing their wrongly convicted and imprisoned relative...Making it 361 victories.for the Wrongly Convicted Unit and The Innocence Project...a great partnership.....

There was champaigne and a big celebration amongst the Attorneys in the building for the four most recent victories..