A mother and a father died at the scene.

Right away.

There was no goodbye.”

Judge Harmon folds his hands and says nothing, watching me.

“They left four children behind,” I say, stepping up closer to the podium.

“The oldest was seven.

The youngest was barely a year old.

And the county could not find a single foster family willing to take four grieving children at once — it’s a lot to ask of anyone, I understand that now better than I did then.