Chapter 5 - My slap
My part of the video was also clear.
I slapped Lena.
One open-handed strike.
No second strike.
No continued attack.
No attempt to chase her.
Still physical force.
Detective Marlowe asked me at the hospital:
“Did you intend to hit your sister?”
“Yes.”
That was difficult to say.
“Were you trying to stop her from continuing to spray the child?”
“I don’t know.”
Accuracy.
“She had already lowered the bottle?”
“Yes.”
“Was she moving toward him?”
“No.”
“So why did you strike her?”
“Because I was furious.”
He nodded.
No judgment.
Documentation.
Lena filed a complaint.
Her right.
My attorney, Rebecca Sloan, reviewed the bodycam.
“You have a defense argument based on immediate protection and the speed of events.”
“Do you believe it?”
“I believe it is arguable.”
Not the same.
“Could I be convicted?”
“Yes.”
“Will I go to jail?”
“Very unlikely on these facts if you have no prior record.”
I did not.
The prosecutor eventually offered me diversion on a low-level assault count.
Conflict-management course.
Community service.
No new offenses.
Dismissal after successful completion.
I accepted.
My father called this proof:
“Both sisters were wrong.”
No.
Both sisters had committed separate physical acts.
That did not make the facts symmetrical.
Lena targeted a five-year-old because he complained.
I struck the adult who had just hurt my son.
My act had context.
Still mine.
That distinction became one of the most important things I taught Eli later.
May you like
Context matters.
Responsibility remains.
