Allegedly

Ms. Cora makes Mary attend court with her because she wants Mary to understand what she is up against. Mary is scared they’ll take her back to “baby jail,” but Ms. Cora assures her they cannot do that. Ms. Cora and Michael Rabinovitch, the lead prosecutor, argue over the merits of reopening the case. Ms. Cora says in defense of Mary, “New evidence and testimony confirms findings from the original investigation. Further, Mary wasn’t allowed a fair trial, especially when her mother, a possible suspect had power of attorney and accepted a plea on behalf of her daughter to save herself” (283). They review evidence and both sides cite several experts. They review Mary’s mental state, and Ms. Cora is surprised that Mary is still being prescribed medication for possible bipolar disorder as well as ADHD. Neither condition has been substantiated and none “of the standardized approved evaluations proved [presence of mental illness] to be the case […] the doctors confirmed she was highly intelligent” (285). The prosecutor, who had seen this as a routine hearing, is unprepared and angered by the evidence brought forth. He points to Mary’s unwillingness to speak in the months after Alyssa’s murder as tantamount to guilt.