"The wheels rolled right over my father's legs. Both of them shattered. Broken ribs punctured his lungs. It took two days of emergency surgery to bring him back!"
His words, paired with the old man's empty pant legs dangling from the wheelchair, struck a nerve with everyone in the room.
The story had already gone viral online, and the trial had drawn a crowd of spectators eager to watch in person.
The gallery was packed. People pointed at me, shouting their accusations.
"That poor old man, at his age he should be living out his final years in peace. Instead he runs into these monsters."
"The one who actually did it doesn't even have the guts to show his face. What, is he planning to let his granddaughter rot in prison for him?"
"Maybe she's happy to take the fall. She still won't give him up. How touching. What a devoted little granddaughter."
Their curses cut into me like knives, but I set my jaw and fired back without flinching.
"You keep saying my grandfather hit him. So which one of you actually saw my grandfather behind the wheel?"
"You're going to condemn someone based on a license plate number alone? Don't you think that's a little reckless?"