His Ex-Wife Is A Billionaire (Evadne and Thaddeus) novel Chapter 587

Sentenced to death?

He was sentenced to death?

Ward felt as if a bomb had detonated inside his head, echoing with such ferocity that the words Ivan spat out afterward were lost to him. Clinging to the railing, he erupted in uncontrollable shouts.

"How could I possibly be sentenced to death? I'm a foreigner! Are you taking advantage of my ignorance of the law? Even if I were to be sentenced, it shouldn't be by you. I should be extradited back home, to be tried by my own country's courts! You can't sentence me to death!"

Ivan looked on with a smirk that was not quite a smile, studying Ward's ghastly pale face, twisted with malevolence like some specter from hell, and spoke with detached elevation, “You want to talk law, let’s talk. According to the 'Diplomatic Criminal Jurisdiction Immunity Act,' the criminal responsibilities of foreigners with diplomatic privileges and immunities are resolved through diplomatic channels. Ward, what makes you think you're so special, with any right or status to claim such privilege? Besides, foreigners who commit crimes on our soil are subject to our laws, just like our own citizens. Sure, if you were some hotshot with diplomatic immunity, maybe you'd get a chance to squirm your way out. But you, Ward, are most certainly not.”

Ward shivered violently, “It can’t be.”

“Moreover, following the conclusion of this morning's trial, Country T embassy has contacted us to say that they will no longer intervene in your case. They've handed over full jurisdiction to us. Since you don't have immunity, by the principle of territorial jurisdiction, our courts have the right to try you according to the law. Now, the fact that you committed premeditated murder is established, we can legally sentence you to death!”

"I did kill, but I was threatened by that witch Elspeth! I was forced into a corner!”

Ward glared venomously at Elspeth, “I was merely an accomplice! Elspeth is the mastermind! It was she who ruined me. She's the one who deserves to die!”

"Pfft!"

Elspeth, her eyes bloodshot, spat directly at Ward with no regard for decorum, covering his face with her disdain.

Although it was a grave setting, Elspeth, once the epitome of elegance as a tycoon's wife, now resembled a rabid dog in her madness, almost causing the Ashbournes to burst into laughter.

“She’s really got some nerve, doesn't she? Even now, she refuses to back down,” Evadne remarked, her eyes narrowing sharply.

“How else could she play the villain?” Thaddeus watched the two people fight in their cage, his icy gaze and thin lips shaped like the edge of a blade, “Let her rage. After all, it's the last time she'll get to.”

The cage containing Elspeth and Ward nearly erupted into a brawl, but the officers quickly subdued them.

Ivan couldn't hide his disgust.

In his years of service, he had seen all kinds of rampant evil and deviance, but these two managed to rile him up to the point where he wished he could throw his gavel at them.

“Next, I will announce the verdict for the defendant Elspeth, charged with conspiracy to commit murder and premeditated murder.”

Elspeth stopped her tussle with Ward and stared fixedly at the bench, her reddened eyes bulging as if they might pop out of their sockets.

For a moment, she smelled something putrid, as if a long-dead animal was buried right beneath her, releasing waves of noxious fumes that entangled her completely.

She sniffed around the cage like a hound, desperately seeking the source of the odor.

“The court has determined that the defendant Elspeth, in an effort to conceal the truth behind the murder of Cynthia two decades ago, secretly hired defendant Ward to brutally silence Erica, who had discovered the secret. The means were extremely cruel, the nature of the crime exceedingly vile! Therefore, the District Court for the District of Elmsworth sentences defendant Elspeth to 30 years in prison for solicitation of murder!” Ivan’s voice, even colder and more resonant than when addressing Ward, reverberated through the courtroom.

Elspeth shrank into herself.

Would she still be alive in thirty years?

She could survive, couldn't she? And would she really have to serve all thirty years?

As long as she kept appealing, kept up the façade, behaved well, and worked her connections in the shadows. Maybe after a decade, they'd let her out!

A sinister hope flickered in Elspeth's heart, but it was immediately crushed—

“Furthermore, with conclusive evidence now brought to light regarding the murder of Cynthia twenty years ago, and the defendant Elspeth’s in-court confession, we find that her motive was premeditated murder, with no intention to surrender herself to the authorities. To cover her tracks, she bribed and threatened witnesses, destroyed evidence, and eluded justice for twenty years! Her crimes are far more grievous than those of defendant Ward! Unforgivable!”

Ivan’s voice rose with each word, fury reddening his eyes behind his glasses, “Thus, for solicitation of murder, premeditated murder, destruction of evidence, and obstruction of justice, she will receive consecutive sentences! The court sentences defendant Elspeth to death, strips her of all political rights for life, and orders the forfeiture of all her personal assets!”

Boom!

Elspeth felt the weight of a crushing mountain toppling over her, the force of annihilation too great to withstand, and she collapsed to the ground!

Death, death, death!

Her vision went dark, a harrowing abyss of despair. She even clawed at the air in front of her as if she had gone blind.

The verdict was clear, its impact profound.

In the spectator seats, Aviana was so moved she nearly shouted, while Myra and her daughter Nydia wept and embraced, and even the usually composed Suri discreetly dabbed away tears with her handkerchief.

Aaron's hands on his knees clenched in a tremor of emotion, and Cassius, beside him, took a deep breath, his lips curving in relief.

At that moment, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

Cassius pulled it out and saw a message from Chasel. His heart skipped a beat as he tapped the screen to open the message.

[The old hag finally got what she deserved! Congratulations!]