Chapter 13 - The Sentenced Man
Three months later.
The final criminal sentencing took place in Dallas County Criminal Court No. 4.
Grant Whitmore stood before the bench in a faded, ill-fitting suit. The jury had returned a unanimous guilty verdict on two counts of third-degree felony assault and one count of wire fraud.
"Mr. Whitmore," Judge Rivera began, looking down from the bench with stern eyes. "You possessed wealth, status, and opportunity. Yet you chose to use physical violence and deceit against the very person who supported your enterprise from its inception."
Grant kept his head bowed, staring at the scarred wooden floor.
"On counts one and two, continuous family violence, you are sentenced to four years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. On count three, wire fraud, you are sentenced to an additional two years, to run consecutively. Furthermore, upon release, you will remain on ten years of supervised probation with an absolute lifetime protective order."
The gavel came down with a heavy, unyielding crack.
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Bailiffs stepped forward immediately, placing Grant in handcuffs and escorting him through the heavy side door leading to the county holding cells.
He didn't look back at the gallery. He didn't say a word. The arrogance that had once defined him was completely erased, replaced by the hollow gait of a convicted felon.
