Courted Page #3

Don't tell me.

Not too tough?

It's fine.

Beer?

- Who knows?

- Another one.

Not drinking?

- I have a bottle.

- And a Diet Coke.

Cheers.

If I wasn't chosen,

I'd have stayed.

To understand how

someone can kick

a 7-month-old baby to death.

Who says he killed it?

He says he's innocent.

He said he did.

At first!

- Maybe the cops made him talk crap.

- Too easy.

First you do it, then you don't.

We can't discuss this outside.

He admitted it.

We can't discuss it.

You took an oath.

I did.

- You raised your hand.

- Yes.

So we can't talk.

Our conversations

must remain a secret.

Can we discuss the judge?

- We can.

- We're allowed.

Okay then, I'm asking.

What do you think of him?

A cold fish.

Cold fish...

Not to badmouth

but I hear he's a bastard.

Why?

- My sister's brother-in-law said so.

- How does he know?

He works at the court,

security guard.

And you believe him...

Why would he lie?

He says according to everyone,

I mean everyone,

he's nasty and hates him.

Nonsense. We don't know him yet.

We don't know him.

No one at the courthouse

can stand him.

Come in.

- Your Honor?

- They're here. We can start.

Fine. I'm on my way.

So tell me as naturally as possible,

in your words,

what happened that day.

Melissa had been crying all morning.

She vomited up her bottle.

I went out for a walk,

for some fresh air.

Then you went home.

Yes.

And I saw Martial.

He was in the living room.

He told me Melissa had an accident.

When he said that,

what kind of state was he in?

Was he drunk?

Not particularly.

He told the officers

who questioned him

he was totally drunk that day

and didn't know

what he was doing.

Go on, please.

So I went in the bedroom.

And I saw Melissa.

She was lying on her back.

She had blood

running down her face.

And she was still warm.

Did he say how it happened?

He mentioned the storage place.

The closet?

It's bigger than a closet.

Bigger than a closet.

So he locked her in there...

to stop hearing her.

Because of the bellyaches she had.

She cried louder and louder...

He shouted louder and louder

from the other side.

Go on.

It was like...

when opening the door...

Go on, please. Go on.

Go ahead.

And so? You were saying?

He put her in the storage room

so he wouldn't hear her.

She had a bellyache

and was crying louder and louder.

And he shouted at her

louder and louder.

Then he opened the door.

The officers

who examined your apartment

found no traces of blood,

not in the store room, the bathroom,

or even on the door.

Except on the bed

where she was lying,

no blood.

How do you explain that?

I don't know.

You don't know.

You didn't do any cleaning up?

Did you see Martial Beclin clean up?

I can't remember.

Tell me.

From when you got back home

until the defendant

went to the precinct,

more than 10 hours went by.

What did you do all that time?

I cried a lot.

Yes, we can imagine.

All I'm asking

is that you tell the court

and the jury

what you told the police.

Martial, wanted to turn himself in.

I was against it.

It was an accident.

Why were you against it?

I just told you.

I said it was an accident.

That's not a reason.

You said you had the idea

to throw her body

into the Liane River

to make it look like an accident

or a missing person.

You said that.

Yes, but we didn't want to.

We didn't do it.

We all know you didn't do it

because her body was found

on your bed.

What I'm asking

is who had the idea

of getting rid of her.

I don't know.

Both of us, me and Martial.

We wanted her to have a tomb.

We didn't want to drown Melissa.

I understand...

I'd like to ask

about the medicine you took.

And a lot of it,

because the next day,

the police found you asleep.

Sleeping pills and tranquilizers.

Do you often take sleeping pills?

Every day?

Because I couldn't sleep.

- Excuse me?

- I couldn't sleep.

You couldn't sleep.

And that day, when did you take them?

I don't know.

I don't know. I forget.

You forget.

Did you take them

before the defendant left

or afterwards?

I don't know.

I can't remember.

You can't remember.

Fine... Plaintiff?

Prosecutor?

No questions from the jury?

I'll turn it over

to the defense.

I'd like to ask

about the child's crying.

Go ahead.

You told the police in paragraph

D-973 of your deposition,

your child cried day and night.

Do you maintain that?

She cried all the time.

You used the word "unbearable".

You couldn't bear to hear her cry?

It was really hard

for Martial and me.

Thank you, Counselor.

No questions from the jury?

I'd like to ask one.

Be my guest.

- Thank you.

- Go on.

My name is Ditte Lorensen-Coteret.

How many months pregnant were you

at the time?

5 months.

The delivery went well?

Yes, it was normal.

Normal...

What was it... a little boy?

In good health?

He doesn't cry?

- Everything's fine.

- Good.

That's good.

Born with his father in prison.

Has he seen his father?

Has the father seen him?

Thank you.

You can go back to your seat.

We'll start examining the witnesses.

Bailiff, show the first witness

to the stand.

Hello, Judge.

"Your Honor".

Please state your last name,

first name, profession and address.

Of course.

My name is Mrs. Roland, Christine.

I live at 227 rue Georges Cartiaux

in Blendecques.

I'm 57 years old

and I work in daycare, "SOS Mommy".

Fine.

Do you know the defendant?

Yes I do, Judge.

"Your Honor".

Are you a relative, friend,

or involved with him

or the plaintiff?

No, Judge, not really.

But in fact... sort of, yes.

Fine.

- Do you know Jessica Marton?

- Yes, Judge.

I babysat for her.

She was 2.

- Where you attached to her?

- A lot.

- More than to others?

- Much more. She's my girl.

She's like a daughter.

And you learned of her marriage

later, with the defendant?

I didn't agree

but I kept my mouth shut.

I was against it.

I said to myself

she'd be unhappy.

Why this intuition?

He seemed to be more...

more in charge.

He gave the orders.

Not Jessica.

Jessica had no say.

You don't like men giving orders.

I think he was domineering.

I'd have seen Martial leave.

He always waves to me.

- He even comes and talks.

- That's not my question.

Here's my question.

Did you see Martial Beclin

leave the projects that day?

Yes.

And no.

It's true, I see everyone leave.

But I'm not always behind the window.

Not 24/7.

I don't understand.

You just said...

you saw everyone in the projects

come and go.

I believe so.

So you believe.

No longer "I know" or "I don't know".

It's "I believe".

- That I can maintain.

- Fine.

So you saw him leave that day.

I'm not sure anymore, Your Honor.

Fine.

The court would like to know

whether your bedroom

shares a wall with that

of your neighbor, Mr. Beclin.

The living room, dining room.

- Your living room is...

- Against their bedroom.

- You're wrong.

- The living room shares a wall...

With the bedroom.

But not the living room.

Their bedroom, our living room.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes