Chapter 206: Bail Appeal
Elias stood before the judge in his private chambers, his tone urgent as he continued to pull out folders from his bag. "Your Honour, I respectfully urge you to review this material at once. It is evident that this entire case is nothing more than a calculated conspiracy designed to maliciously entrap my client.
She has already submitted substantial evidence demonstrating the peaceful and affectionate nature of her relationship with her husband—including CCTV footage that clearly details just how close they are... These pictures are from the day before this alleged murder attempt." With that, he pushed the pictures of Adam and Melanie dancing together at the underground bar and the way they were close, anyoen could see that they were definitely not ’fighting’.
Next he played another CCTV footage and said," This one, here, clearly verifies her whereabouts during the alleged incidents. She was in her hotel all the time. These are not isolated claims, Your Honour, but corroborated facts.
Moreover, I also have evidence from the past that points to a more disturbing truth: my client’s husband was being blackmailed by his ex, Miss Saira Vaugn, the first victim in this case. There was no illicit affair, as has been falsely suggested. Instead, he was being coerced and manipulated and even that night, he went there to see a small boy who Miss Saira claimed was his son. But when the police reached there, there was no sign of the child.. so obviously Miss Vaugn had called him there under false pretenses.
Given these facts, I humbly request that the court take this new evidence into serious consideration, as it completely dismantles the foundation of the allegations against my client."
Elias took a breath, eyes blazing with restrained frustration. "And if I may continue, Your Honour—this woman, my client, Melanie Collins, has been kept in detention for days without a shred of direct evidence linking her to the crime. She has been made to sit in isolation, stripped of her dignity and rights, while no credible witness, no reliable source, no undeniable proof has been presented against her..
He ran a hand over his face and then turned back to look at the judge, his voice dropping lower, "What’s worse... she doesn’t even know yet that her husband, Adam Collins, has succumbed to his injuries. No one has had the decency to tell her or let her visit her husband one last time. And now, at a time when she should be allowed to grieve, to mourn and to process the tragedy of losing her partner—she is being locked away like a criminal without getting a chance to even proving her innocence.
He slammed the bag shut, careful not to let the action seem disrespectful. "Your Honour, keeping her here, under these circumstances, without conclusive proof, is not only unlawful ,it is inhuman."
The judge leaned back in his chair, "Mr. Elias, I understand your concern. But the man who attempted to murder Mr. Collins gave a confession in custody. And in that confession... he named your client. He stated Melanie Collins as the one who gave the order. That cannot be overlooked."