Page 93 of Matlock
Matlock
Rosalind turned back to David. “Mr. Nelson, when did you become aware of your son’s sexual orientation?”
“When he was thirteen,” David said, his voice tight. “And it has nothing to do with—”
“And how did he react when Sadie began dating men? Was he supportive?”
“Simon has always been supportive of his sister,” David said firmly.
“Even when she chose to be with Alan Sanders? A man who represented everything your son isn’t—traditionally masculine, heterosexual, someone who could give Sadie the kind of conventional life that Simon himself rejected.”
“Objection!” I was on my feet again. “This is completely irrelevant and prejudicial.”
“Your Honor, the prosecution’s theory is that the defendant’s motive stems from his emotional response to his sister’s relationship,” Rosalind explained. “His personal struggles with his own identity are directly relevant to understanding that response.”
Judge Markham looked like he wanted to sustain, but he couldn’t. Not without showing bias. “Overruled. The witness may answer.”
David’s hands gripped the armrests of the witness chair. “My son didn’t reject anything. He is who he is, and he’s never been ashamed of it. And his concern for Sadie had nothing to do with Alan being a man and everything to do with Alan being abusive.”
“But you didn’t know about the alleged abuse until recently,correct?” Rosalind pressed. “So what was Simon’s objection to Alan before that? Was it really concern, Mr. Nelson? Or was it something else? Jealousy, perhaps, that his sister was building a life he couldn’t have? That she was choosing a traditional path while he remained... different?”
“That’s ridiculous,” David said, his voice rising slightly.
“Is it? Your son lives alone, Mr. Nelson. He’s never had a serious relationship that you’re aware of, has he? No partner, no commitment, just a lifestyle that many would consider immoral. Isn’t it possible that seeing his sister happy with a man triggered something in him? Some resentment about his own choices, his own isolation?”
“My son is not isolated,” David said through gritted teeth. “And his sexuality has nothing to do with why he was concerned about his sister’s safety.”
“But he was obsessively concerned, wasn’t he? Calling her, checking on her, inserting himself into her relationship. That’s not normal brotherly behavior, Mr. Nelson. That’s possessiveness. And given your son’s particular circumstances, his alternative lifestyle, his lack of stable relationships, his documented emotional volatility, isn’t it possible that hisprotectivenesswas really just an unhealthy fixation?”
“No,” David said flatly. “Simon loves his sister. He wanted her to be safe. That’s not obsession, that’s family.”
Rosalind’s smile was cold. “Or perhaps it’s what happens when someone who’s spent his life struggling with shame and rejection sees his sister choosing the very thing he can never have. A normal life with a normal relationship accepted by society. And when he couldn’t control that, when he couldn’t stop her from being happy in a way he never could be, he snapped.”
“Objection!” I roared. “Your Honor, this is outrageous. Counsel is engaging in blatant homophobic speculation with no basis in evidence.”
The courtroom erupted in murmurs. Judge Markham slammed his gavel. “Order! Ms. Winthrop, you are dangerouslyclose to a contempt citation. Rephrase or move on.”
Rosalind held up her hands in mock surrender. “I’ll withdraw the question, Your Honor.” She turned back to David. “Mr. Nelson, you testified that Simon is ‘caring and thoughtful.’ But isn’t it true that people struggling with their identity often experience emotional instability? Mood swings, jealousy, difficulty maintaining healthy boundaries?”
“My son is not unstable,” David said, his voice shaking with barely controlled anger.
“Mr. Nelson, your son called the sheriff himself, covered in blood, and confessed to murdering Alan Sanders. That’s not the action of a stable, rational person, is it?”
“He was protecting his sister.”
“Was he?” Rosalind stepped closer to the witness stand. “Your son has a documented history of violence. Numerous fights in school throughout the years. And now a murder. That’s a pattern of escalating aggression, isn’t it? A pattern consistent with someone who uses violence to solve his problems.”
“He was defending—”
“He confessed to committing murder,” Rosalind said flatly. “A man who would call the sheriff and take the blame for a crime he committed? That’s not noble, Mr. Nelson. That’s the action of someone who’s guilty and filled with shame. Someone who’s capable of terrible things.”
“Objection! The prosecution—”
“No further questions,” Rosalind said, cutting off my objection before Judge Markham could make a ruling for the record. She sat down, and I could see the damage she’d done. Several jurors were looking at Simon differently now. Not with sympathy, but with suspicion. With judgment.
David looked shaken as he stepped down from the stand.
“The defense calls Michael Jefferson.”
