At your service.
Most Smiled Responses
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> REPORTER ELLEN FORGE <
Ladies and gentlemen, the verdict is in, and has been announced. It's official: the jury has accepted and promoted the fact that Mr. Thurgood was very much guilty, but apparently, the majority has decided for the sake of future trials of paranormal and supernatural entities, to give him a single chance. For a three-month period he will be monitored on parole, and after that, he will have a secondary character witness trial to decide his long-term sentencing.
> JOYCE SANDERSON, NEWSANCHOR <
This is certainly a surprise to many of us. There are some details that I have been handed here- Thurgood won't be allowed to leave the city, but will be able to continue living as he has been, in the same house. All of his activities will be monitored, and it appears willing donors have already been selected to provide him his.. meals, in bag form. He will be affixed with a tracking device that will also record the ambience and sounds wherever he goes. We've been informed that if he takes a step out of line, the PIU have the authority to award punishment, even administer kill-on-sight procedure. Stay tuned to your local channel twelve news for all Case Against Thurgood coverage. -
> REPORTER ELLEN FORGE <
*footage shows the outside of the specially-equipped downtown courthouse eleven* Fifteen minutes before trial began, Jules Thurgood waited in chains, guarded by an agent of the Paranormal Investigation Unit, the mask-wearing Pyro. Thurgood was percieved to be nervous, as is to be expected, but there's much doubt he'll actually run. Even as people filed into the courtroom, Thurgood was offered a hotdog by his guardian. When he denied it, Pyro shrugged and lifted his mask in order to shove the hotdog underneath it. Reportedly, Jules screamed at the sight.
There's still much speculation about the true identity of the Pyro, made famous in local media by his resemblence to the character in the popular computer game, Team Fortress 2. We have a poll on our website right now, RNXS12.COM- go vote right now as to what you think the PIU's agent's gender is. -
> JOYCE SANDERSON, NEWSANCHOR <
This just in, ladies and gentlemen- the prosecuting and defending attorney in the Case Against Thurgood have just come out of a seemingly unplanned meeting with the honorable Judge Boyle. Ellen Forge is downtown right now with the story.
> REPORTER ELLEN FORGE <
Thank you, Joyce. It's seven hours until the trial, and there seems to have been a change of plans. I just got done speaking with Thurgood's attorney, Mr. Terrachus, and he's informed us of some surprising details. Mr. Wright, the speaker of the people, was not available for discussion.
> FOOTAGE <
___MR. TERRACHUS: After reveiwing the evidence in the case, and after many discussions between Mr. Wright and myself, and much deliberation, we came to the agreement that it would be best for the jury and judge, if we do not show the evidence. This unfortunately required me to motion to declare my client guilty without a jury's say, and as such the hearing will only be for Mr. Thurgood's sentencing.
___REPORTER ELLEN FORGE: Does this mean yourself and Wright will not pursue any hearing to declare guilt or innocence on your client's behalf?
___MR. TERRACHUS: There is no doubt in our mind that my client is guilty. The clearest evidence is so atrocious, however, that we would be irresponsible to allow it to be seen. This is a mercy of a decision between myself and Mr. Wright, and the honorable Judge Boyle has permitted the motion based on our agreement.
> REPORTER ELLEN FORGE <
*live* This has been Ellen Forge, for RNXS News 12. -
> REPORTER ELLEN FORGE <
It's been five hours since the jury went behind the infamous red door of courthouse eleven. Twenty years ago, the Sidestreet Slasher was found guilty by every member of a jury behind that door, all within fifteen minutes. Will Jules Thurgood's fate be the same? The crowds outside of the courthouse are quiet. The forums have exploded with topic after topic of debate on the case. But the question remains now- what will the outcome be? In the meantime, there are other concerns. The PIU has discovered that several of the wards on the outside of the courthouse have been broken or removed, and as such, there is- ... wait- I've gotten word, the Jury's returned. *she stares into the camera, holding her earpiece with knitted brow.* -
> REPORTER ELLEN FORGE <
We're standing outside courthouse eleven, which has been fashioned with many religious symbols and archaic wards. I've never seen anything like it before, and according to a spokesperson of the PUI, they're not for protection against Mr. Thurgood! Apparently, they're for protection from other sources, who might want to either free or harm Thurgood, or those that have imprisoned him.
> JOYCE SANDERSON, NEWSANCHOR <
Ellen, with all this protection, are they letting press and passive observers in?
> REPORTER ELLEN FORGE <
For the first and final parts of the trial proceedings, they are in fact allowing cameras in. But to protect the identity of witnesses and involved parties, they will not be allowing cameras or recording devices inside, and all passive observers will be asked to leave. During that stage of the trial, Joyce, they will be recording with their own cameras, and have said they will release doctored tapes, with voices and faces altered to protect identities, to the press and media.
> JOYCE SANDERSON, NEWSANCHOR <
Have you heard anything about the jury?
> REPORTER ELLEN FORGE <
The jury, as I understand, will be an even mix of supernatural civilians and common civilians. Their identity will not be released, and they've been press-locked.
> JOYCE SANDERSON, NEWSANCHOR <
Thank you, Ellen. We have video available now of the opening statement.
> FOOTAGE <
___JUDGE BOYLE: The court recognizes Mr. Wright. The jury will acknowledge the following statement as words prepared by both Mr. Wright and Mr. Terrachus.
___HARVEY WRIGHT: Thank you, your honor. Members of the jury, myself and Mr. Terrachus have come to the conclusion that there is no possible means to defend or assault the defendant's innocence. This will be straightforward: you, the jury, will be expected to take what you will learn today, and decide what the fate of this guilty, murderous, rapist should be. A lot of you right now will say 'death'. Myself, I absolutely agree. But if there is something you need to know and consider- something that I am reminded of every day- the outcome of this trial will effect each and every life from here on out. The sentencing will tell each and every supernatural individual out there, what we'll do if we find them. Do we want to give them hope, do we want them to come forward willingly and know that we are not some hateful race? Or do we want them to live in fear- to burrow as far as they can in the black muck of their homes, knowing that when we find them, we will eliminate them for all the harm they've caused. That is what is really at stake, here- no matter what happens to this monster named Jules Thurgood, that is the decision you will ultimately need to make. I do not envy you.
> JOYCE SANDERSON, NEWSANCHOR <
Powerful words from Harvey Wright. On our forums now, there appears to be a discussion on the handsome Harvard graduate's and the apparent dragon defending Thurgood. Log in now to add in your two cents. -
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> JOYCE SANDERSON, NEWSANCHOR <
We've just recieved the video from the witness trial. I have to say, Ted, this doesn't look good for Thurgood.
*while the newsanchors discuss the trial, footage is shown in the lower right corner of Wright and Terrachus questoning individuals.*
> TED BRENHART, NEWSANCHOR <
Of course it doesn't, Joyce. We're talking about a man who killed and raped women mercilessly for years. A priest came on the stand- name unknown- and was able to inform the court that he's done worse things- burning hospitals and churches, killing children and multiple other individuals.
> JOYCE SANDERSON, NEWSANCHOR <
All of this, over the course of two-hundred years. There's been some forum debate on the subject of Thurgood. Simon75 states, 'He's a monster, nothing more. All of these monsters should be hunted down and destroyed, no question about it. We kill wild animals that attack people, whether or not they need to eat- why aren't we killing Thurgood on the spot?'
> TED BRENHART, NEWSANCHOR <
It's a good point to bring up, but the poster seems to be avoiding the point that for all these years, vampires have needed to feed on human blood, whereas any animal isn't restricted to just human flesh. FreemanMH has this to say on the matter: 'We've ignored the existance of these things for ages, and now we suddenly decide to apply our laws to them, despite how different their biology and psychology is from our own. I think this is really unfair in this and any case involving a supernatural being, and challenging ethics and morality.'
> JOYCE SANDERSON, NEWSANCHOR <
It seems there's a high amount of debate on the forums right now. Be sure to log in and leave your own comment. It seems the most recent interest on the forum is in Thurgood's apparent girlfriend and family. The trial video has been released- you can access segments of the video on our website- and our watchers have taken it onto themselves to pick the witnesses apart.
> TED BRENHART, NEWSANCHOR <
Now, I've noticed this myself, but I absolutely have to read this exchange. HavocBaby comments, 'That poor woman is either deluded, or there's a side to Thurgood outsiders haven't seen, but considering she's lived with him for years and appears to be very much alive, he is capable of being human.' In reply to that is, 'If he's capable of being human, then he's capable of being tried as one.'
> JOYCE SANDERSON, NEWSANCHOR <
Which brings up an interesting point. Thurgood has children, a home, and a love interest- if he's capable of being human, capable of providing for his family, then indeed he should be capable of being tried as a human being, but in the same vein, as EdwardEvent comments: 'He's only had a family recently, which means he could be capable of acting human, and may be losing his carnal urges. [Lawrence] Pain's testimony on his character proves how terrible he can be, but in the psychiatrist's testimony to character, there is a distinct drop in carnage since forming a family.' But is it too little, too late?
> TED BRENHART, NEWSANCHOR <
The psychologist that took the stand brought up more than one brutal note about Thurgood.
> FOOTAGE <
___*here plays a clip from the trial, a blurred-out man on the stand states in crisp european accent, 'Rage and frustration can turn even your average human into a so-called monster, but Thurgood was forcefully stripped of his humanity and forced to deal with his situation all on his own. For years, he's obviously thought he's had no reason to restrain himself, and existing constantly with eternal hunger, coldness and emotional strain is all he's known. He's no more a monster than a sick man in a mental hospital is.'*
> JOYCE SANDERSON, NEWSANCHOR <
The nameless psychologist on the stand also brought up this important fact.
> FOOTAGE <
___*another clip of the same psychologist, 'Jules Thurgood did not have a clear distinction between right and wrong while he was committing these acts. He may have stated he did, but through observation I'm fairly certain he's been overcome by vampiric nature.'*
> JOYCE SANDERSON, NEWSANCHOR <
This doctor has basically stated that vampires in themselves can become monsters, but are not necessarily created as monsters initially. The forum seems to be either with Pain's insisting upon monsters, or with this nameless psychologist's deductions.
> TED BRENHART, NEWSANCHOR <
Backtracking a moment, however, Joyce, back on the subject of family, Lawrence Pain, the priest, and even the psychologist, have all mentioned the family being possibly disfunctional. The psychologist presumed the girlfriend living with Thurgood may indeed be suffering from Stockholm Syndrome- a disorder in which a person sympathizes with their attacker.
> JOYCE SANDERSON, NEWSANCHOR <
He has attacked other women, some who have survived. The women who did take the stand did not act at all deluded. The first woman thought that there was hope for Thurgood, despite being attacked, claiming she thought the family was functional and that the father was capable of redemption. This might just be the turning point of the trial, Ted.
> TED BRENHART, NEWSANCHOR <
What concerns me is the other woman, who calls herself John Doe. She's been taking care of Jules' family in his absence, but is also one of his thralls- a term for a person that's been turned into a vampire. He apparently turned her without consent, after an attack- and here she is, on the stand, stating that the family is only disfunctional if he's not around to provide for them.
> JOYCE SANDERSON, NEWSANCHOR <
She's been by far the most emotional figure on the stand, so far- even with the priest yelling and Pain's convicted statement.
> TED BRENHART, NEWSANCHOR <
The forums are aflame right now with posters nitpicking everything being said, but the one clip we need to show you won't be released online. When Thurgood himself took the stand, he did say he was guilty- but wanted to speak freely. Surprisingly, Judge Boyle allowed it.
> JOYCE SANDERSON, NEWSANCHOR <
He spoke to his girlfriend, and this is what happened.
> FOOTAGE <
___JULES THURGOOD: Hey, toots. It's kinda funny...the court that wants to put me to death is the only one that legally recognizes that I even exist at all. That's been in the way of this for a while now. I know it's lousy on account of me... going away pretty quick here, but I gotta ask when I've got the chance. [Censored Name], will you marry me?
> JOYCE SANDERSON, NEWSANCHOR <
That's something, isn't it?
> TED BRENHART, NEWSANCHOR <
I'll say. -
> FOOTAGE <
___TERRACHUS: Members of the jury- you've seen what people see Jules Thurgood as. Individuals who've spent no personal time with him, and apparent friends and family. Even a psychologist pulled from the highest authority in the supernatural and human chain. If you move to give him another chance, there's a chance a good deal of the population will feel as though there's been an injustice. You can choose to execute him, and send that message to every other 'unusual' being watching this proceeding. It is in your hands. I agree with Mr. Wright- I have no envy for you. But if there is one thing I know, it is that no matter your choice, something will be done. And that is what matters. This is the first step of many, in making this a peaceful world. This is history, and you have the most important seats. For that, I am envious. We the people give you the opportunity to make things right.
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Mr. Terrachus’s Bio
Terrachus and Chrovoxi, Lawyer and...
Terrachus:
> Male
> Lawyer
> Rock (Mountain) Dragonkin
Chrovoxi:
> Female
> Lawyer
> Sand (Desert) Dragonkin
