"The prosecution calls Jossy Harrison to the stand."
When Jossy finally sat in the witness chair, the clerk administered the oath. She raised her trembling hand, her voice firm despite the shake: "I do."
Mrs. Grant approached the stand with calm precision.
"Ms. Harrison," she began, "for the record, can you state your full name?"
"Jossy Marie Harrison."
"And your relationship to the defendant, Mr. Damien Rothwell?"
Her throat tightened, but she forced the words. "He is.. was my husband."
"Ms. Harrison," Grant said gently, "I know this is difficult. But we need to hear your story. Let's start at the beginning. Can you tell us how you met the defendant?"
Jossy swallowed, her voice steadying as memories surfaced.
"I met Damien when I was twenty one at UCLA. It was at a party. He walked up to me as I was dancing with my friend. He was confident and charming. He asked if I wanted a drink, but I said no. Still, he followed me around that night, making me laugh. He told me I was different. By the end of the evening, he asked me out on a proper date."
Her lips curved in a sad half smile. "At the time, it felt like a fairytale. We dated for a year. He was attentive, generous, and always made me feel like I was the center of his world. We got married when I was twenty two. I thought I had found the man I would grow old with."
Ramirez nodded. "What happened after the wedding?"
"The first six months were fine. We traveled and decorated our apartment" Her voice broke. "Then everything changed."
"Changed how?"
"He became more controlling. At first, it was small. He didn't want me to go out alone. He would question what I wore. Then he said I shouldn't work, that his job was enough, and that his wife's place was at home. I believed him."
Her eyes filled with tears. "Six months into our marriage, the first time he hit me, I was shocked. I thought it was stress, a mistake. He cried after, begged me not to tell anyone, swore it wouldn't happen again." She looked at the jury. "But it did. It happened again, and again. And each time, he found a way to blame me."
There was a long pause. Her parents looked gutted, her mother sobbing softly into a tissue.
"Did there come a point where the abuse affected your health?" Grant asked.
Jossy's voice cracked. "Yes. I… I got pregnant during our second year. I was so excited. But one night, we fought because I had spoken to an old college friend on the phone. He accused me of disrespecting him. He shoved me into the wall. I fell. I lost the baby that night."