Camille Ross was in the back row, where she had been every day of the trial. Her law review article had long since been submitted and was, according to her supervising attorney, the finest piece of student legal writing he had read in 11 years.
Thomas Avery stood at his station with the quiet, upright composure of a man who had decided, in the course of these proceedings, that he would never again mistake silence for safety.
Voss and Pruitt were brought in separately. Voss in a gray detention uniform, his bearing reduced from its former swagger to something smaller and more careful. Pruitt walked with his eyes down, his cooperation agreement having purchased him consideration, but not absolution. And the difference showed in every step he took.
Lieutenant Barbara Crane was not present. She had been processed at a federal facility the previous week, her arraignment handled in a different courtroom, her case proceeding on its own track toward its own conclusion.
Harold Sutton had resigned, cooperated with investigators, and was currently in discussions with federal prosecutors. His name appeared in the record 47 times. He would not be returning to the bench.
Naomi entered. The room rose. She took her seat, arranged her files, and looked out at the assembled faces for a long moment before she spoke.
"Officer Derek Voss, please rise."
He stood. His attorney rose beside him.
"Officer Voss, you have been found guilty by a jury of your peers on all counts. Civil rights violations under color of law, assault on a federal officer, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and filing of false official reports."
She held the sentencing document steady in both hands.
"The presentencing report documents 23 incidents of targeted misconduct over nine years. It documents a systematic pattern of abuse directed overwhelmingly at Black and Latino civilians. People who had done nothing except exist in spaces you had decided they did not belong in."
The room was completely still.
"This court sentences you to 14 years in federal prison, followed by eight years of supervised release. You are permanently barred from any law enforcement position, any security position, and any role carrying public authority. You will complete mandatory civil rights education prior to any consideration of release."
Voss sat down. He did not react visibly. The reaction, whatever it was, had retreated somewhere internal. And what remained on his face was simply the expression of a man receiving something he had earned.
"Officer Shane Pruitt, please rise."
Pruitt stood.
"Officer Pruitt, your cooperation with federal investigators has been noted and considered. The court does not confuse cooperation with contrition, but it recognizes the practical value of testimony freely given when testimony was needed."
She looked at him steadily.
"This court sentences you to 11 years in federal prison, followed by six years of supervised release. The same permanent restrictions apply."