Monkey In An Orange Jumpsuit
It’s been a while since I have spoken directly about what is happening in the State’s case against Luc. Anyone who follows my blog is aware that since the murder of my son, I have spent nearly all of my waking hours (when not in my full-time job trying to stay afloat financially) fighting for justice. Though the justice system moves much slower than most victims would like, this past Monday was a small victory for justice in what is sure to be a long and tiresome journey. While I have taken on a lot of issues lately on this blog related to child welfare, domestic violence, and family law, for today’s post I want to share with you what the pre-trial was like for me. I hope this will allow you all to see a small window into what our “justice” system is like for the victims.
Before Court:
The night before the trial, I couldn’t sleep. I spent hours wondering how I would feel when I would have to come face to face with my son’s murderer. I also wondered how I would be able to contain myself from flying over the witness stand and slapping both him and his attorney across the face. After spending months attempting to properly grieve for my son, while making sure all of the people involved in signing my son’s death papers (attorneys, judges, police, fraudulent therapists) couldn’t hide from their role in this horrible situation, I was left to think about how to deal with something that might seem like a fairly simple task – walking into a court room and telling the story all over again to a judge.
The morning of the trial, I woke up in a Manassas hotel and looked over the clothes I had packed. ‘What do I even wear to the trial for my son’s murderer,’ I thought as I stared down at my clothes. I immediately remembered having a similar feeling when I was forced to decide what to wear to my 15 month old son’s funeral. ‘Was this really my life,’ I thought in disbelief. ‘Who does this?!?!’
The Arrival:
I arrived to the court in full on mafia-like style. I have a huge family (who some jokingly refer to as “The Catholic Mafia”) walking along side me. We were a force to be reckoned with – several angry Mamas who had nothing to lose. My father joined us later in the day as well as Shawn Mason’s family who were also out to see Justice served. Walking in with all these people beside me, I felt so proud. I thought to myself, ‘this is how we roll Luc…you had no idea what you messed with here.’
Shortly after I arrived, the media started rolling in. I took that opportunity to point them in the direction of Luc’s supporters (all two of them). For the purpose of this blog, we will just refer to his main supporter as “the boyfriend”. Luc’s boyfriend, in true psychopath fashion, saw me pointing him out to the media and immediately called for police protection as if I was going to bother touching him. This display of ridiculousness made me chuckle as it reminded me of the pathetic antics Luc used to play in Family Court when he tried to make the world believe he was the victim. The boyfriend was terrified. He was not terrified that I would hit him, but he was terrified at my power to expose him for his involvement in this whole nightmare.
The Entrance Of The Monkey In The Orange Jumpsuit:
As the judge entered the room, my heart started beating faster as I anticipated the arrival of the devil himself. A few minutes later, Luc was led into the room in an orange jump suit by a police officer. To my surprise, he didn’t look much like I had remembered at all. His hair was matted to his head and frizzy, his skin a grayish tint, and his face was puffy as if he had been eating a few too many donuts while in prison. At first I had to do a double take to even make sure it was him, but then I saw the menacing look in his eye and the familiar smirk that came across his face as he noticed a full courtroom. He looked like a caged monkey who had just been taken for a walk by the prison guards.
While I had been worried about how I would feel in this moment, I immediately felt a huge sense of relief as I realized that I would walk out of this courthouse at the end of the day without Luc in my life. I would leave his pathetic existence behind me in that courthouse – the fight would end here. This wasn’t even my fight – now it was the State who had the job of exposing the horror to the court.
After being sworn in, me and the other witnesses were told to leave the courtroom and wait for our turn to be called to the witness stand. I walked out of the courtroom confident that this day would be miserable for Luc as he would finally have to face the reality of what he had done. Family Court had been full of second chances and lies, however, I had a sinking suspicion that criminal court might play out a little differently.
On The Witness Stand:
My testimony seemed to be simple. I explained my last morning with Prince and how he had been feeling. I told the judge about how I had let Prince sleep in that morning, and how he followed me around the house saying “Mama, Mama…” in his quiet voice. I talked about how I brought him to the grocery store right before the visit and let him run around and get out some energy. We played tag that morning as he laughed, sang, and spoke to all the grocery store employees.
When it was time for cross-examination, Luc’s attorney was clearly full of misinformation and intent on filling the room with smoke and clouds. His line of questioning was such that he seemed to be trying to set the stage to say that my son had been sick and that somehow I had hidden this fact from Luc. After setting the record straight, and informing the judge that I had provided Luc will all the necessary information on how to care for a baby (in writing and via the supervisor of the exchanges), it seemed as though Luc’s attorney had nowhere to go. He fidgeted with his notes and stuttered that he had no further questions. His questions about seizures annoyed me. I wanted to scream and inform him of the large elephant in the room by saying, “Sir – I hate to state the obvious here, but seizures don’t cause drowning.” As I walked past the defense table, I turned and looked straight at Luc (who was actively avoiding eye contact as he looked down at his bright orange attire) and said, “ugh…baby killer…good riddance.”
The Ruling:
Once all of the witnesses had been called, we were all allowed back in the courtroom to hear the judge’s ruling. Since it was only a hearing to establish probable cause and whether or not the case should go to trial, I wasn’t too worried about the judge setting Luc free that day. (Though I am sure that Luc believed he would be going home with his boyfriend that very afternoon) Oddly, as I walked back into the courtroom, one of the police officers warned me not to have an outburst once the verdict was read. In that moment, I think my jaw might have dropped a little as I gave the officer a confused look. I wondered if in my stressful morning I had dressed in Jerry Springer guest type attire or if this was a common warning given to all victims of such a hideous crime.
After shaking my head and assuring the man that I would not release my inner “angry black woman”, I came back to my seat to listen to Luc’s fate. The defense lawyer muddled through his closing statement and tried to make it appear as though he had more medical experience than the medical examiner. The prosecution, however, was not phased by his feeble attempts to shift the focus and hijack the discourse. She elegantly and simply spoke to the judge and reminded the court of why we were there, and that the judge was only supposed to determine that a crime had occurred and that Luc was likely the person who committed the crime.
Luckily, this did not appear hard for the judge as he quickly noted his belief that the threshold had been met, and that this matter should be sent onward to the grand jury. Of course, in true Luc fashion, he began his monkey like dance in his chair and a scorned look came across his face as if he had been the person wronged by the system. For all the sane people in the room, excluding Luc’s boyfriend of course, a wave of relief overcame us all.
Upon my exit from the courtroom, Luc’s boyfriend decided to make an attempt to show his dismay by starting toward me as if he had something he wanted to say. As he opened his mouth to verbally abuse me (likely in an attempt to defend his man), I simply said to him, “you are next to be in that orange suit *****”. I walked out of the courtroom with my head held high – happy that I would not be followed by the monkey wearing the orange jump suit.
Praying this monkey remains locked up forever.
amen
I hope Luc and his boyfriend have many, many years with their bubba’s, in their orange suits, followed by burning in hell for all eternity. Hera your strength, courage and dignity are, as always, an inspiration.
Such wonderful news to hear, it’s going to be long and exhausting but just think about your Precious son Prince being in that court room with you. Every time you walk into that courtroom or to the witness stand just hold one of Princes favorite toy or animal, which will get you through it. Sorry I missed this court date but i will be there with you all when his trial starts just let me know the date Please. Did you get T-shirts made of some sort saying “Justice for Prince”? Also are they talking about the other 2 murders that he committed? I really think that he should be tried for all 3 but especially your lil Prince!!
Hang in there ladie and Remember” God is an Awesome God” and he is on your side!!
Tee777, I didn’t get shirts for the trial. I think I might just get pins or something for the final sentencing date. I want Luc to realize that its the State that is prosecuting him at this point. He needs to realize that what he is going through is because of his own doing.
Do you know when the next trial date would be and/or where to track this trial through the system?
The next trial date has not been set, however, once he is indicted in early May….you can look it up in the online Prince William County VA court records database.
Thanks. We didn’t know each other when we were neighbors. I’m amazed at your preserverence and strength. I’m sorry that I’ve only come to know you through this blog over the past many month.
Don’t be sorry Neighbor. The demon always discouraged me from speaking with the neighbors. Probably because he didn’t want me to find out who he really was.
Sounds like you held it together very well. I can’t even begin to imagine what you are going thru. I do hope you continue you work to bring change and light to the problem that we and all women are facing who are suffering from abuse. This post came across so strong and shows just how ready you are to make sure this doesn’t happen to others You are awesome.
Hera, once again it seems you were cool, calm and collected in your approach which I’m sure was well received and almost impossible to manage considering the circumstance. You were wise to cut the boyfriend off by not giving him an opportunity to speak in addition putting him in his place by educating him in the fact that he will be next in line for sentencing if he was in fact involved. Kudos to you for remaining strong for all of Luc’s victims to see that justice is served. God speed!
As serious as this is, I am laughing at your post, the MONKEY IN THE ORANGE JUMP SUIT. He’s going to be wearing two of them soon, maybe three. I know you have spoken with Shawn’s mother, and she is happier as well. Something’s going to go down, DON”T WE KNOW. Prince and Shawn are working baby, don’t you worry. Ms. Collins is going to join them too if she hasn’t already. Life is going to be GOOD for you and the other two MAMAS.
Auntie, I have no doubt in my mind that Shawn and Prince are up in heaven working together. I think they were working together before Prince even came here.
I agree 100%, I just feel in awe at what is happening. Luc will not prevail, you will, he’s in a fight against angels sent from heaven. The devil is a liar! You hold on Mama. If he don’t go down for one he’ll go down for the other so either way he’s going down.
You should be very proud of yourself and we all know the Handsome Prince was watching over his great Mama. Many blessings to you and your family.
Finally; Luc in shackles, defensless, powerless!! Keeping you and your family in my prayers Hera!
All I have to say at this juncture is , Mr. Olmsted, Prince was not a very sick child as you stated in court while ignoring the facts. But Mr. Rams and Mr. Jestice are some seriously sick humans (I mean sick in the head). I know our laws state that a person should have a fair trial, but nowhere does it say that fair is FALSE. I pray that criminal court has a higher level of proof than family court does.
The wheels of justice move so slowly, but they are indeed moving, and Luc, a.k.a. the devil, will reap what he has sown.
Hera,
I am sure that the Court and the Prosecutor will try to keep Psychopathy out of the case. The Judge who failed to protect Prince is just as guilty as Luc. So, I have a feeling that the Court will nail Luc hard on this. They want to give you justice by putting him in Jail forever, so they can take the heat off themselves for doing nothing to prevent this tragedy.
The Courts want to make it look like they got it right, so no one notices how badly they got it wrong. Luc killed Prince for money and to manipulate and control. Prince was the one thing that you loved most and he wanted to take that away from you. If they knew he had a severe emotional and cognitive dysfunction, why was Prince not protected? Its like the TSA letting the guy with the dynamite and alarm clock strapped to his chest get through security.
Justice will be served, in that Luc will probably spend the rest of his life in Jail, but the Judge will escape accountability.
I pray for the outcome that gives you peace.
Wow Hera, I ddn’t realize how messed up the justice system is there. Here, you are either indicted by the grand jury OR you have a probable cause hearing, not both. Although now that Luc knows there is probable cause, he will most likely be told by his lawyer to use his right to a speedy trial. Do you have to testify for the grand jury as well, or can they use the probable cause hearing transcripts? That’s a lot of testifyng if not. Just know that you have a vast amount of support, who are patiently awaiting the inevitable outcome of seeing the MONKEY locked away for the rest of his life.
Luckily, I don’t have to testify in the grand jury hearing.
If you have to testify everything will be just fine. It’s almost over for him!!
Andy..you are soooo right. I can’t wait to see his face when he is convicted of Murder.. i’m still praying for 3 counts of Murder..He is going straight to hell because he surely would not be welcomed in Heaven..Hell is waiting for him with open arms, I call him one of Satan’s sons(Luc)!!
I am so glad that from what I know of the American System they are not afraid to give extremely harsh sentences – unlike here in the UK. He has MURDERED at least 3 people ( that we know of ) and he needs to pay – hopefully with PAIN!
@Debbie, and you have to ask yourself, how did the Prince William County police department allow him to go on killing. They did not do enough on the first two killings plain and simple, they have a little soul searching to do too. They are in the process of undoing this wrong and hopefully they will get him on those two as well.
That is the problem Auntie…I believe that many of the officers who let the previous activity go…are not the type to soul search at all.
Prince William County and Manassas City Police Dept would rather put drug dealers and weed smokers in jail for “Life” than a 3 time Murderer in jail for life!! No Joke!!..they really have a lot of soul searching to do and get their Priorities in Order!!
I am new to your site and I am horrified at the outcome of your story. You were robbed of the most precious thing in the world. I was robbed of my future and security, merely material things. It makes me feel ashamed to know how deeply you have paid. Houses and money can be replaced. A beloved child can never be. I must ask about his boyfriend. So he was homosexual? I am not surprised but validated. How often had he been with another man? I was married to a psychopath for 13 years whom I caught in the act with another man in our living room on New Years Eve. He denied it to the day he left the country, saying I was insane and that it never happened. My son also saw him through the window with the same man who was performing oral sex on him.
Brenda, I call the man he was living with his “boyfriend”, but their actual relationship remains a mystery. Nothing would surprise me there because I think psychopaths don’t get into sexual situations for the same reasons that normal people do. I think sex is about power and control. The people he was living with when he killed my son were either accomplices or his next mark. They were paying for him to live and fight me and continue to pay for his defense. Since there is no familial relationship and they certainly didn’t appear to be normal friends when we were together…well, let’s just say nothing would surprise me. I call the man his “boyfriend” though because he fights and speaks about him as if there is something going on there that is romantic.
I am sorry to hear about your situation. You should not feel ashamed for feeling bad about what happened. Material things hurt too because sometimes they tear you down and represent more of what you have lost. My ex not only killed my son, but nearly ruined me financially. Every time I pay a credit card bill (essentially still paying for the custody battle that ended with the brutal murder of my innocent child), it hurts that much worse to realize that I am not only trying to repair my emotional state and my heart…but I also have to climb out of debt accrued from trying to save my son’s life from a man I knew was a murderer.
Keep your head up though. You will recover from this. You have likely dodged a serious bullet and be thankful because it certainly could have been worse. That said, don’t beat yourself up for being sad because it still hurts even if there are people out there who have lost more. There are people who have suffered more than I have as well. That doesn’t make the pain less.