Chapter 14 - MY MISTAKE BECOMES A PROBLEM
Derek’s lawyer learned I had asked Emily:
“Why didn’t you get him out?”
They used it.
Not dramatically.
Effectively.
At a pretrial hearing, counsel suggested hospital staff had pressured Emily into blaming Derek.
My note documented:
Physician expressed concern regarding failure to seek care.
I had corrected myself later.
Still.
Defense argued Emily feared losing custody and therefore adopted the hospital’s narrative.
Was that persuasive?
Partly possible.
People under investigation do have incentives.
That is why corroboration matters.
I testified:
“I asked a poorly phrased question. It was not appropriate investigative interviewing.”
The defense attorney looked pleased.
“So you contaminated her account?”
“No.”
“You influenced it.”
“I may have influenced how safe she felt speaking to me.”
Different.
I refused to overdefend myself.
That helped.
My mistake had a consequence:
I stopped being used as a primary witness for Emily’s disclosures because prosecutors preferred cleaner sources.
May you like
Good.
The case should not depend on my ego.
