Over several sessions he found himself speaking more about childhood than about the stop. He remembered Thomas warning him how to move around police officers, and he remembered the embarrassment he had felt when friends from wealthier families asked why his father seemed nervous around patrol cars. He had interpreted Thomas's caution as a kind of surrender. Now he understood it as a form of care: a father trying to keep his child alive in a town that could be dangerous when authority was challenged.
Back in Carthage, Denise Sanford saw a different change in her son. Jerome had begun keeping a notebook of questions for his attorney, and he read about the legal process at the public library after his shifts. He had not stopped being frightened of police cars, but he had started imagining a future in which he could use what he learned to help someone else. When Denise asked whether he was thinking about returning to school, he admitted he was, then asked whether she thought he was too old.
"You're twenty-six," she said. "The only thing you're too old for is pretending there's no time left to start over." Jerome smiled. It was the first smile she had seen on his face that did not seem to require effort since his release from prison. She went into the kitchen to hide the tears that followed.
The federal case moved toward trial through months of motions, witness preparation, and evidence review. Defense counsel challenged the search, the recovery methods, the reliability of witnesses, and the scope of the government's allegations. Prosecutors produced forensic documentation showing how the original recordings had been preserved and recovered, along with independent footage and corroborating testimony. The court heard arguments and made rulings on what evidence the jury could properly consider.
Simone followed the proceedings closely, but the criminal case remained the responsibility of federal prosecutors. She was a lawyer and a victim's spouse, yet she did not serve as a prosecutor or cross-examine witnesses in the criminal trial. Her own legal work was directed toward the civil case, where separate rules and responsibilities applied. Nathaniel trusted her precisely because she understood when to step forward and when to leave a matter to someone whose role was different.
One evening in Atlanta, the lead federal prosecutor met with Nathaniel to prepare him to testify. She explained that the defense might question his memory, suggest he had misunderstood commands, or imply he was motivated by anger at being arrested despite his status. Nathaniel listened without offense. He had spent decades teaching officers that being challenged did not make them victims of disrespect, and he intended to answer difficult questions the same way he expected his subordinates to answer them.