Summary

Chapter 13 opens with an “Excerpt from The Alyssa Richardson Story by David Simons” (279). Mr. Richardson was furious that Mary was sentenced only to manslaughter, saying she should have been in jail for life. In the next scene, Mary and Cora are in court. Mary remembers the prosecuting attorney, Michael Robinovitch. She says Judge Conklin looks “like a mean grandma” (281). Mary listens to the arguments. The judge is angry that Mary's mental status has been evaluated only seven times over the six years she has been in custody. She demands an investigation into why social workers and others assigned to Mary's case have never filed any reports on her. One thing that comes out during the trial is that Mary has been on medication for her entire life. Cora is obviously angry that Mary did not tell her. Over the course of the hearing...