Opening Statement ~Prosecution~


    Representing the State: Mr. Dragan Rajic, Esq.


    <u>Excerpt:</u>


    A dead man tells no tales.


    A truism, a truth, or a lie? Perhaps all of the above? Call it what you will, ladies and gentlemen, but I’d like you to know this: for the next several days we spend together in this courtroom, you will be reminded again and again of this saying—this… this idea. And each time you are, I implore you to challenge your own understanding and build upon it.


    A dead man tells no tales. Is it a truism, a truth, or a lie? Your answer may change. Your answer may even surprise you.


    In brief, the facts of the case as we know them are as follows.


    On October 20th of 2022, Dr. Tobias Kane—a well-respected psychiatrist and a pillar of his community—and Mr. Ezra Reisch—a young man with a troubled past, still trying to find his footing in the world—met for the first time. Over the course of two years, the two of them would continue to meet, often as health care provider and client, but there are records to suggest other occasions of a… less structured nature. Suffice to say that the two got to know each other on some level—one that perhaps stretches our traditional assumptions of what a doctor-patient relationship might entail.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    On October 20th of 2024, exactly two years to the day of their first meeting, Dr. Kane and Mr. Reisch met for the last time. At 8:13 PM, Mr. Reisch rang the doorbell at Dr. Kane’s suburban residence and was invited in after a brief conversation. We know this from the security camera installed above Dr Kane’s porch. Then, sometime between 8:30 and 9:30 PM, Dr. Kane died from a gunshot wound to the head, suffered in the middle of his own living room. We know this from a combination of crime scene analysis and an autopsy performed approximately ten hours after his death.


    Mr. Reisch, who remained at Dr. Kane’s house until police had arrived, was taken into custody on the same day. And he now stands before you today, accused of Dr. Kane’s murder.


    Everything I’ve told you thus far are things we know as fact. They are matters of official record, immovable and incontrovertible in their truths. And I don’t need to tell you that Dr. Kane himself isn’t here today to give his account of how he died and who might be responsible for his death.


    I will, however, posit to you that he still has plenty of things to tell us. Things that will shape and solidify your understanding of this case. Things that will prove without a reasonable doubt that Mr. Ezra Reisch, the young man who is here today, is in fact guilty of the crime he’s been accused of.


    I posit to you, ladies and gentlemen, that a dead man can indeed tell a convincing tale—especially when it comes to the manner of his own death. And I ask that you sit up and listen to what he has to say.