Colt Brennan arrived with three attorneys and a publicist who stopped at the courtroom door. The champion wore a navy suit and a supportive sling, although the medical record indicated his injury was expected to improve. Wade walked behind them, his face rigid. He had become less comfortable with the story since learning that spectators possessed unedited recordings, but he continued repeating that the gym's own system had malfunctioned. He sat where the camera crew could see him through the doorway before the proceedings began.
Judge Ruth Calloway entered shortly after nine. She was fifty-eight and had presided over enough contentious hearings to recognize the difference between evidence and performance. She acknowledged the matter's public attention and warned everyone that the courtroom was not a live broadcast. When Garrett Whitmore, Colt's lead attorney, began addressing the press from his seat, she stopped him and instructed him to direct his comments to the court. A murmur passed through the gallery, then disappeared.
The judge asked Byron whether he understood the nature of the accusation and his right to counsel. He said he did, explained the efforts he had made to obtain representation, and confirmed that he wished to proceed without an attorney for the limited hearing. Judge Calloway questioned him further to ensure the choice was informed. She made clear that he could ask to revisit representation if necessary. Byron thanked her, grateful that at least one person in the building had asked what he wanted before making a decision for him.
Whitmore presented the gym's edited clip. On the courtroom monitor, viewers saw Byron catch Colt's arm, bring him to the mat, and hold him there. Without the earlier footage, the sequence looked abrupt and alarming, especially when played in slow motion. Whitmore emphasized the champion's shoulder injury and argued that the level of skill demonstrated suggested Byron had entered the ring intending to hurt him. His language was polished enough to make a response sound like an initiation.
Byron listened with his hands resting on the table. When the lawyer described him as a security guard "with no legitimate reason to possess such combat skills," Byron looked up briefly. He had spent much of his life training people precisely so they could end dangerous encounters without losing control. He wondered how that experience had become evidence of moral failure rather than evidence of restraint. He waited until the judge gave him an opportunity to respond.
"Mr. Fletcher," Judge Calloway said, "what is your account?"
Byron stood. He explained that he had been working at the emergency exit when Colt selected him without agreement. He had refused, been ordered to participate by Wade, and been physically pulled toward the ring by Colt. He had not threatened anyone or thrown the first strike. When Colt attempted to hit him, Byron had acted to stop the immediate threat and released the hold as soon as it was safe.
"And you could have used a less forceful method?" Whitmore asked when questioning was permitted.