Their Favoritism Resulted In A Cruel Outcome Chapter 16
On the tenth day, the state attorney general announced the first round of charges: falsifying government documents, impersonating law enforcement, kidnapping, and obstructing rescue efforts.
Because multiple victims had died in the fire, the prosecution also brought multiple felony murder charges.
Daniel Winthrop did not plead for leniency on his son’s behalf. He publicly recused himself and made no requests to have the charges reduced.
The evidentiary hearings, jury selection, and trial lasted three years. The defense argued that no one had started the fire intentionally and that no one had planned any killings. The prosecution replayed the corridor surveillance footage over and over.
After the fire broke out, the guards heard the cries for help, but they obeyed Blair’s order and refused to open the door.
Connor and the Worthington men knew the detention was a sham, yet they still sent their own family into an illegal facility.
The jury found that the deaths occurred during the commission of a kidnapping and an attempted premeditated sexual assault, not in some unforeseeable accident.
My father and three brothers lost their positions in the foundation, and the family trust was frozen. They were convicted of kidnapping and multiple counts of felony murder.
Blair, who had planned the sexual assault, withheld supplies, and prevented the guards from attempting a rescue, was convicted as well.
The three intruders, the butler, and the two guards were each held responsible for their crimes.