Prosecutor Cho walked Dwire through the night of the incident. Dwire admitted under oath that he had implicated Mallerie to use "standard movement language" in his report to justify the force before Mallerie had even been interviewed by Internal Affairs.
"Did Officer Mallerie tell you the girl was combative?" Cho asked.
"No," Dwire confessed, hanging his head. "He told me she pulled the 'mom card' and that a crowd was filming. He was worried about how it would look online."
"And did you assist in altering Captain Mendes's report regarding the Darius Bell assault two years ago?"
"Yes," Dwire admitted softly. "We removed three pages that recommended criminal charges against Trent."
Gasps echoed throughout the courtroom. Defense attorney Sloan attempted to damage Dwire's credibility on cross-examination, portraying him as a liar cutting a deal to save his own skin, but the digital audit trail provided by the FBI proved Dwire was telling the absolute truth. The wall of silence protecting Trent Mallerie had officially crumbled.
On the fourth day of trial, Aaliyah Brooks took the witness stand.
At thirteen years old, sitting in the giant wooden witness box, she looked small, but her presence filled the room. Simone sat in the front row of the gallery, keeping her eyes locked onto her daughter, offering silent, unwavering strength.