Chapter 14
Luke and Laura entered the courtroom together, noticing all of the people who
had shown up in Luke's defense. Everyone they knew in Port Charles was here.
Even people who weren't living here anymore, such as Sean, Tiffany, and Lois,
came to show their support. Luke and Laura wanted to go over and talk to Tiffany
most of all, but they knew this trial was about to start, so they took their
places… Luke next to Alexis, and Laura sitting directly behind him, within arm's
reach if he needed her.
Soon after, the judge and jury came into the courtroom. Judge Phillips brought
the room to order and said, “Case number 144-321, the State vs. Lucas Lorenzo
Spencer, Sr. Are council present?”
DA Smith stood up, appearing very confident with this case as he said, “District
Attorney David Smith for the state, your honor.”
Alexis stood soon after and said, “Alexis Davis for the defense.”
Everyone in the courtroom was still shocked that Luke had allowed Alexis to take
this case. She was a Cassadine, and everyone knew how little Luke trusted any
Cassadine, even Laura's own son. Edward turned to AJ and whispered, “Luke must
be desperate if he hired a Cassadine to represent him.”
The judge ignored the whispers from the room as he asked, “Lucas Lorenzo
Spencer, you are being charged with kidnapping of two minors and endangerment of
the life by use of physical abuse of these same two minors. How do you plead?”
“Not guilty, sir,” Luke replied strongly, even though he was shaking inside.
“DA Smith, are you prepared to make your opening statement?” Judge Phillips
asked.
“I am, you honor,” Smith said, getting up from his chair and approaching the
jury. “What I'm going to prove to you in these upcoming weeks is a man, who was
angry, hurt and betrayed, allowing his emotions to overcome his judgment. This
man, Luke Spencer, has a long history of using violence and revenge to suit his
purposes. This same man lives off of violence like most of us live off of food
and water. Now, you may ask, how can this man brutally beat his own son and
brother? With anger, everyone. An anger so strong that there is no room for
logic, concern, grief, or even love. I will present you with witnesses to this
man's anger, many of whom at one point might have called him their friend or
ally.
“This is a man with a long history of violence. In his early years he had been a
common thief and street punk, bullying his way to support himself. His arrival
back to Port Charles, where he lived as a child, led him to the mob under the
leadership of Frank Smith. The defense might say that he had changed when he
turned his back on Frank Smith and provided the evidence to put him in jail, but
no man can change that much. Staying true to his colors, he has taken people's
lives into his own hands, even though he is supposed to be this ‘changed man’.”
“He has been branded the hero many times in the press, but is he really the hero
we wanted to believe in, or just a vigilante who thrives on danger, risk, and
violence. When he saved this town from freezing, did he go to the police and let
the law handle them? No, he went to the rescue himself, which led to a few
deaths. Did he feel regret about killing these people? No. He thought they were
unworthy to live, so he made sure they didn't. What kind of man can kill so
easily? Well, you have him sitting right before you today, ladies and gentlemen.
That's the face of a man who could.
“Luke Spencer spent ten years on the run from the mob with a son and wife. None
of us will fault him for that, but after his return to Port Charles, he entered
the mob again. We will show detailed records of police reports, which
specifically show his workings in the mob. He killed a man on the docks, which
led to his son being shot. The police report originally said it was a mugger
because of Mr. Spencer's lies, but they later found out it was a hit man from a
rival mob. And in his quest to get rid of this hit man by himself, his son
almost lost his life.
“Then we have accounts of Mr. Spencer being under suspicion for the breakout of
Mr. Smith from jail… the same Frank Smith who he had kept his family on the run.
He obviously wasn't considering the danger he was placing himself and his family
in while he was breaking Smith out. But, later, it didn't matter since he killed
him too.
“And after Frank Smith died, Mr. Spencer's ties to the mob remained strong in
his friendship with Michael ‘Sonny' Corinthos, Jr. This led to even more
violence, which includes fire bombs at his club while his son and wife were
there, a shootout at his home with his whole family there, his son in the living
room where the shootout took place. But those people were taken care of too…
with their lives.
“What I'm trying to show you is a man that lives his entire life through
violence. He has been known for threatening his wife's first born son on
numerous occasions. He faked his wife's death because of a vendetta he has with
the Cassadines, allowing this whole town to grieve for her. He uses his fist
before his brains when he gets mad. He cut off his sister when she married a
Cassadine because he felt she betrayed him. He even allowed his son to fend for
himself on the streets before he kidnapped him and beat him to a pulp. Is this a
loving man? Is this a man you would want in your family?
“Luke Spencer left town at the same time his son was kidnapped. Coincidence? I
don't think so. He left because his wife testified for his mortal enemy, leaving
a note for his wife that he had taken their son on a trip. Soon after he
returned, his son comes back, but this time with bruises so deep that there will
be scars to remind him of the torture he had to endure. Why did he beat his son?
Well, his son is a constant reminder of his wife, the same wife who betrayed
him.
“You see them today sitting together, appearing to be a strong, very supportive
couple. But that is a deception ladies and gentlemen. If they were a supportive
couple, would this man threaten her own son? Would this man leave town for two
months without a word? Would his wife leave town for over a year just before
that? Would she kick him out of the house only a few years ago because he
couldn't keep violence out of the home? The only reason I can think of why these
two are even together today, despite all of these problems that most couples
would be divorced over is because she is scared of him… scared of what his anger
will lead him to do. And that is what we'll prove to you over these few weeks. A
man who's anger is so overpowering, that no one will dare cross the line without
risking their lives. It's in his nature, ladies and gentlemen, and now you
finally have a chance to put this man where he belongs… behind bars.”
Once the DA was done with his speech, Luke turned around and looked at Laura.
Was he really as bad as the DA had made him out to be? Laura tried to reassure
him by placing her hand on his shoulder, but it didn't help. Most of what the DA
said was true, and that's what scared him the most.
Alexis looked over at Luke before she stood up to make her opening argument. She
saw how Smith's argument had shaken him, but she hoped that hers would be even
more convincing. She stood up and approached the jury, taking a deep breath
before speaking.
“Ladies and gentleman of the jury, DA Smith has tried to show you my client's
violent nature, but has left out many details of who he really is inside. This
isn't a man without feelings, and this isn't a man driven entirely by anger. We
will not deny that he has a shady past, but if we all look deep inside
ourselves, isn't there something in our past that we're not proud of and would
like to keep hidden? Isn't there times when we made mistakes, trying to do what
was best for our family? Isn't there a time when we considered doing things
against our morals to save our family? I don't think there isn't one of us in
this room that has had to face a time in their life that they do regret, and Mr.
Spencer is no different.
“We will not deny Mr. Spencer's past ties to the mob. But what we must point out
is the fact that he was willing to give up his life in order to help his sister.
This is a man who had to provide almost everything for his sister when their
father walked out on them. He was only a kid, not much education, no source of
income, and trying to avoid social services in order for him and his sister to
remain together. Does that really sound like a selfish, anger driven man to you?
“We will also bring witnesses to show you of what love means to Luke Spencer. He
doesn't take it lightly since he didn't have much of it growing up. With his
mother dead, father nowhere to be found, Luke Spencer valued the love of his
sister and aunt more than anything. Then he later found the love of a woman, his
wife Laura, and they now have a family… a family he cherishes more than his own
life.
“DA Smith told you of the many lives that were taken at the hands of Luke
Spencer. Well, what he conveniently left out is that the reason no charges were
ever brought against him was because they were out of self-defense. Are we to
fault a man who was in the process of saving his life along with his family's?
Can anyone one of us here say we wouldn't have done the same thing if placed in
the same situation?
“Luke Spencer is a loving husband and father, who does make mistakes. His wife
and he have been married for 17 years. 17 years… that's a long time to be
married. Does that sound like a marriage that is based on fear? No… it's based
on love. Anyone who is married knows that couples do have disagreements,
sometimes bad, but only couples who are strong can overcome them, and Mr. and
Mrs. Spencer have proven just how strong they are.
“As for Luke Spencer, the father, he will often be described as an
unconventional father. Anyone who knows this man knows how much he loves his
children. His son, Lucky, is more of a friend than a son… his best friend is
more like it, and he would do anything for his children, not anything to them.
For example, his son got into trouble with some gambling only a couple of years
ago. He lost a lot of money, more than we could imagine, yet did Mr. Spencer
beat him then? No, because he's incapable of doing that. Instead, Mr. Spencer
paid off his son's debts to give him a fresh start, and provided a way for his
son to pay him back. What way, you may ask? Well, not by being a punching bag, I
can tell you. Instead, he rewarded his son for good grades after the downfall in
school and also allowed him to do other chores when needed. So while he was
teaching his son the wrongs about gambling, he also taught him the value of a
good education, something all parents try to teach their own children.
“Then another circumstance that shows his love, not anger, is when his daughter
was sick with a deadly disease. He spent many hours in the hospital by his
daughter's side, praying along side his wife and son that she would get better.
And she did because of the son his wife had in the past, a son he knew nothing
about. But despite the lies, did he leave his family… he could not. He loves
them too much to do so.”
“So, ladies and gentlemen, what we have here is a man who's love overpowers his
anger. When you grow up with very little love, you learn to appreciate it even
more so when you receive it. That man who sits before you is one who loves as
much or even more than you do. That man values his family more than anything and
would never harm them in anyway.”
Alexis sat back down next to Luke and took his hand to tell him that she was
confident with the jury's reaction. He studied their expressions too, and he
hoped that Alexis' confidence was well earned. He could only hope that she was
as good at cross-examinations as she was at opening arguments. He then looked to
the back of the room at his son and brother, who sat next to Sonny. They looked
agitated at what was said so far, and he prayed silently that this trial would
be quick so that he could start repairing the shattered family that he called
his own.
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