PART 22

In late May, Detective Ruiz called with news that the case was moving toward a negotiated resolution.

She was careful not to promise a particular outcome and explained what information would be shared with the family through the prosecutor’s office.

The process took several more months.

The evidence was reviewed, the defense raised its challenges, and Harold ultimately entered a plea that resulted in a criminal judgment and sentencing on the charges resolved by the court.

We were not given the dramatic confession I’d once imagined.