Chapter 546 - 257: The Destined Freedom
"But they don’t want to acquit him either, because that goes against their fundamental belief that a life must be paid for with a life. It would make them feel as if social order itself were collapsing."
"At that point, if an option is presented to them—that we only sentence him to thirty years in prison, making him take responsibility for his actions, and that after thirty years, he can still get out and live a normal life..."
"That, for the jurors, would be a relief."
"They would have both upheld the dignity of the law and soothed their own consciences."
"It’s what I call ’moral off-loading.’"
Hart said, "As long as I take the first-degree murder option off the table, the conviction rate will jump from 10% to nearly 100%."
"And that’s what I want."
The assistant listened to Hart’s analysis, nodding in agreement.
’Now this is a professional prosecutor.’
’That kind of satisfying, crowd-pleasing justice was never his goal. He pursues solid, tangible convictions.’
"So... how are we going to explain this to the higher-ups?" the assistant asked worriedly.
"I’ll tell them this is the only way."
Hart stood up and straightened his tie.
"If they insist on life imprisonment, then they can have the Attorney General handle the prosecution himself."
"I’m going to see the judge."
Hart picked up the revised indictment.
"I’m going to file a motion with the court to amend the indictment."
"And while you’re at it, notify that thug Wayne."
"Tell him I’m done playing his sentimental games."
"We’re going to talk sentencing."
...
「Pittsburgh, City Hall.」
Leo was listening to a report from Ethan.
"...and that’s the situation." Ethan hung up the phone. "Our eyes in Philadelphia say Hart just filed a new motion with the court."
"He’s dropping the first-degree murder charge and replacing it with third-degree murder."
A look of delighted surprise spread across Ethan’s face.
"Leo, we won!"
Leo, sitting in his chair, did not share Ethan’s excitement.
He twirled a pen in his hand, his eyes fixed on the map on the wall.
"Hart is a smart man,"
Leo said calmly.
"He’s read the jury’s psychology perfectly."
"He knew he couldn’t win a head-on fight, so he took a step back."
Leo said, "In Pennsylvania, third-degree murder usually carries a thirty-year sentence."
"For a twenty-four-year-old, thirty years is more than enough to ruin his life."
"Hart wants to lock Luigi away until nobody even remembers his name."
"But for us, this means we can start doing the math."
Leo stood up and walked over to the whiteboard in his office.
He picked up a black marker and wrote a number on the board: 5.
Then, next to it, he wrote another number: 3.
With his back to Ethan, Leo said, "According to the state Constitution, the Governor has the power to grant pardons. But before exercising that power, he must have a written recommendation from the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons."
Leo drew five vertical lines under the number "5".
"If an inmate is sentenced to death or to life in prison, getting a recommendation for a pardon requires a unanimous vote from all five members of the board."
"But for other sentences, like a fixed-term imprisonment..."
"...the threshold is lower."
"You only need a simple majority—three votes."
Leo turned around, tapping the numbers on the whiteboard with the tip of his marker.
"Ethan, do you understand what Hart’s decision to reduce the charge means for us?"
Ethan stared at the whiteboard, his mind racing.
"If Luigi is convicted of first-degree murder, that’s a life sentence. If we want to get him out, we’d need to secure all five votes."
"Exactly," Leo said coldly.
"We may have reached a tacit understanding with the Republican National Committee, and Taylor may have promised that Kirk would be ’sick’ and miss the hearing, but it’s useless if we can’t get all five votes."
"To break that deadlock, I had a Plan B ready."
Leo went back to his desk, pulled open a drawer, and took out a sealed file.
"This contains the entire evidence chain showing Kirk accepted political donations from a major health insurance company during his campaign. It was funneled through several super PACs, but the money trail is crystal clear."
Ethan looked at the file, a chill running down his spine.
He knew Leo had dirt on people, but he never imagined it would be on the State Attorney General.
"My original plan was to have Wayne file a lawsuit before the pardon hearing, accusing Kirk of a conflict of interest and forcing his recusal from Luigi’s case."
"If the court agreed, Kirk would have to withdraw from the vote, and the total number of votes would drop from five to four. As long as we got the remaining four votes, it would still count as a unanimous decision."
"But that move is extremely risky."
Leo tossed the file back into the drawer.
"Suing the Attorney General would be like declaring war on the entire Pennsylvania judicial system. Kirk would retaliate. The Republican Party would retaliate. The public would see it as us interfering with judicial independence, and it could destroy our moral high ground."
"It’s a desperate gamble, a last resort."
Leo looked back at the whiteboard and firmly circled the number "3" with his marker.
"But now, Hart has solved our problem for us."
"Third-degree murder, a fixed-term sentence."
"The threshold drops to three votes."
The marker in Leo’s hand circled the number "3" emphatically.
"By the time Luigi’s sentence is officially handed down, the political landscape of Pennsylvania will look very different from how it does today."
"First."
Leo wrote "Campbell" on the whiteboard, then drew a downward-pointing arrow next to it.
"According to our plan, by then he’ll have been forced to resign due to pressure from the public and from within his own party. He won’t be able to hold onto his position."
"Once Campbell steps down, according to the state Constitution, Vice Governor Aston Monroe will automatically succeed him as Governor."