Chapter 13 - Richard’s Case Was About What He Did, Not Whether He Was a “Bad Grandfather”
The criminal case took:
months.
Not days.
Medical experts documented:
two rib fractures consistent with blunt impact against a firm edge.
Could they prove:
Richard intended fractures?
No.
Eli said Richard shoved:
him.
Richard admitted there was physical contact but claimed:
Eli pulled away and fell into the bench.
The locked workshop was easier.
Richard eventually admitted:
locking it.
His justification:
“timeout.”
Investigators documented:
outside locking mechanism,
window exit,
missing shoe,
neighbor timeline.
Texts showed Richard anticipated:
blame
and described Eli as:
out of control.
The EMS recording preserved his statements at the ambulance.
No single piece solved:
everything.
Together they formed:
a pattern.
The case ultimately resolved through a negotiated plea involving:
assault/endangerment-related conduct,
unlawful confinement or a comparable offense under state law,
probation or custody terms appropriate to the final charges,
anger-management/intervention requirements,
and strict limits on contact with Eli.
I learned to stop measuring justice by:
how many years someone spends in prison.
The most important outcome for my son was:
May you like
Richard could no longer demand unsupervised access and call it family.
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