Vanessa had met Carasco’s wife at office parties, charity galas, and political rallies, but she didn’t know Betsy well. She did know that being beaten to death was a horrible way to die, and she looked forward to avenging the victim of that kind of brutality.
Vanessa had heard through the courthouse grapevine that Robin Lockwood had visited Joseph Lattimore in the jail, so she wasn’t surprised when her secretary told her that Robin was in reception and wanted to see her.
“Is this about Betsy Carasco’s case?” Vanessa asked when Robin was seated.
Robin smiled. “Word travels fast.”
“Are you representing Lattimore?”
“I am, and Amanda Jaffe is cocounseling.”
“Smart. That means I can’t have Mike at my side.”
“That’s not why I asked her to be second chair, but it is a collateral benefit.”
“So, why are you here?”
“To touch base.”
“And find out what we’ve got.”
“That too.”
“Robin, we’ve got a very strong case, so I’m going to tell you what we have. I’ll also make you a plea offer.”
“Go ahead.”
“Judge Carasco and Ian Hennessey, one of my deputies, saw Lattimore run out of the judge’s house, but we don’t need them to place your client at the scene. Betsy Carasco’s body was found in the living room. Your client’s prints were on the light switch and wall in the living room. The wall and the light switch are very close to the body. What’s more, the tread on the bottom of your client’s running shoes matches muddy shoe prints we found inside Carasco’s house.
“Dr. Grace will testify that Betsy was beaten to death. We did an internet search on Mr. Lattimore and discovered that your client is a professional boxer.
“You know that we don’t have to prove motive,” Vanessa continued, “but your client is homeless, so breaking into the judge’s house to steal makes sense.”
“Has Mr. Lattimore confessed?”
“He hasn’t said much of anything since his arrest.”
“What’s the offer?”
“If Mr. Lattimore pleads to aggravated murder for killing Betsy Carasco, I won’t pursue the death penalty. He’ll have to accept life without the possibility of parole.”
“I appreciate the candor,” Robin said.
“You’ve always been a straight shooter,” Vanessa said. “And I do have a rock-solid case. Talk to your client. Then get back to me.”
“I will. But I do have one question. Soon after Mrs. Carasco was killed, Mr. Lattimore was arrested at a motel where he was staying with his wife and baby. How did the police know he was there?”
Vanessa hesitated. The way the police found out about the motel was the only thing about her case that made her uneasy.
“It was an anonymous tip.”
“How soon after Mr. Lattimore left the crime scene did the call come in?”
“I don’t remember. But it’ll be in the police reports.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
Robin left. Vanessa thought the meeting had gone well. Robin had to get her client’s permission to take the deal, so Vanessa hadn’t expected Robin to cave right away. A case this strong would probably be resolved by a plea. Robin would try to get a concession to life with the possibility of parole. Vanessa didn’t know if she’d make that concession, but she didn’t have to decide that now.
The prosecutor turned to another file on her desk and forgot about Joseph Lattimore. Why think about a case she couldn’t lose any way it went? If Lattimore didn’t plead, she would go to trial with a case that was a slam dunk, and the win would net her a ton of good publicity.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
“I’ve decided to take your case,” Robin told Joe Lattimore as soon as the guard left them alone in the contact visiting room. “I already accepted the appointment, and Amanda Jaffe is going to sit second chair. She’s one of the best defense attorneys in the state.”
“I don’t know how to thank you.”
“You don’t have to. This is what I do. And I have some very good news for you. Maria and Conchita are okay. They’re together in a women’s shelter. I know the woman who runs it, and I’m keeping tabs on them. So, you don’t have to worry.”
Joe choked up and could only nod.
“But the news isn’t all good. Your case is going to be prosecuted by Vanessa Cole. She’s the Multnomah County DA, and she’s very good. I met with her, and she told me everything they have. They don’t do that unless they’re convinced that they can’t lose.”
“How do you think the case will go?”
“It’s too early for me to guess about the outcome. I haven’t seen the police reports, and we haven’t started to investigate. But before we talk about the evidence in your case, I want to tell you how a death penalty case is tried, because a death penalty case is very different from every other type of criminal case.”
“Go ahead.”
“The big difference has to do with the way the sentence is determined. In every other criminal case, the judge determines the appropriate sentence, and there are several weeks between the conviction and the sentencing hearing, so I don’t think about the sentence unless my client is convicted.
“In a death penalty case, the jury that decides that the defendant is guilty of aggravated murder has to decide if the defendant should be sentenced to death. To protect the jurors from outside influences, they are brought back immediately after they convict to hear evidence on the issue of the appropriate sentence at a hearing that can be longer than the trial. This has a huge impact on how an attorney prepares a case with a potential death sentence.
“When I get a death case, I have to assume the worst and start preparing for the sentencing hearing at the same time I prepare for the part of the trial that determines guilt or innocence. If I wait, I won’t have time to gather evidence that can convince the jurors that they shouldn’t sentence my client to die.
“If you’re convicted, the only thing the jurors
