Chapter 9 - The Trial of Spencer Parker
Four months later, in March 2027, the trial of State of Illinois v. Spencer Thomas Parker concluded at the Cook County Criminal Courthouse.
Spencer sat at the defense table wearing an orange county jail jumpsuit. He had lost thirty pounds; his hair was thinning, his posture broken, and his face sunken. His father had exhausted his personal savings trying to pay for his legal defense, but the mountain of evidence collected by Detective Miller and Sarah Lin was completely insurmountable.
Julianna Vance testified on day two, presenting two years of recorded phone calls and text messages.
Dr. Aris had been extradited from Dubai three weeks prior following an international Interpol warrant, and had agreed to plead guilty to federal conspiracy charges in exchange for testifying against Spencer. On day three, Dr. Aris sat in the witness chair and detailed every single payment Spencer had made to terminate Chloe's pregnancies.
When the jury foreman stood up to deliver the verdict after less than ninety minutes of deliberation, the courtroom was packed with news reporters from across the Midwest.
"On Count One: First-Degree Conspiracy to Commit Medical Fraud... GUILTY."
"On Count Two: Felony Battery by Deception... GUILTY."
"On Count Three: Two Counts of Illegal Termination of Pregnancy... GUILTY."
"On Count Four: Grand Larceny and Trust Fraud... GUILTY."
The judge, Judge Vance, looked down at Spencer with a expression of pure, unyielding judgment.
"Spencer Parker," Judge Vance said, his voice ringing through the silent room. "In my thirty years on the bench, I have rarely encountered a human being who demonstrated such cold, calculated, and monstrous disregard for the life and well-being of his own family out of pure financial greed."
He raised his pen.
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"I sentence you to forty-five years in the State Maximum Security Facility, without the possibility of parole for thirty-five years."
Spencer wept silently, his forehead resting against the defense table as the bailiffs snapped steel handcuffs around his wrists and led him out through the heavy rear doors into the dark.
