Chapter 7 - BRANDON’S DEFENSE
Brandon’s attorneys attacked the prosecution logically.
The neighboring video lacked audio.
The camera angle was imperfect.
My concussion affected memory.
The financial dispute gave me motive to exaggerate.
His internet searches could have innocent explanations.
The balcony camera outage might be coincidental.
Margaret claimed she panicked when she told police Brandon never touched me.
Each point alone created room for argument.
Together, prosecutors answered with pattern.
System logs showed Brandon manually accessed security controls.
His phone placed him at the control panel.
The neighboring video showed physical movement consistent with a forceful push.
Biomechanical analysis was cautious but supported the possibility.
My injuries were consistent with the fall.
The financial records established motive.
His searches established pre-event interest in balcony falls.
Then the broken phone produced something unexpected.
Technicians recovered partial data.
Minutes before the fall, I had activated audio recording.
I remembered doing it only after they told me.
The recovered file was damaged.
But enough survived.
My voice:
“Don’t touch me.”
Brandon:
“Give me the phone.”
Me:
“No.”
Margaret:
“Brandon, finish this.”
Then movement.
My scream.
The recording ended after impact.
“Finish this” remained ambiguous.
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The prosecution did not pretend otherwise.
But combined with everything else, Margaret’s exposure changed dramatically.
