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<blockquote data-quote="CryptCreeper72" data-source="post: 262283" data-attributes="member: 5055">I don&#039;t own any of the characters in this story and no copyright infringement is intended.This fic is an alternate timeline and features a totally different resolution to the &quot;Who Shot JR?&quot; plot.The timeline breaks at episode four of season four of &quot;Dallas.&quot;***Shot Through the HeartPart Nine:***&quot;The Ewings are here,&quot; a young lawyer said to the DA. &quot;Are you going to tell them?&quot;&quot;No,&quot; the DA shook his head. &quot;I get the feeling a few of them want Sue Ellen to get off. JR even tried to strong arm me into dropping the charges. No need to let them know I have a witness to the shooting. They can find out in court just like everyone else.&quot;&quot;Jock Ewing will be furious.&quot;&quot;That&#039;s not my concern,&quot; the DA said. &quot;My only concern is putting Sue Ellen Ewing away for as long as possible. She&#039;s dangerous. The Ewings will just have to deal with it.&quot;***&quot;Remember, Sue Ellen, whatever happens, don&#039;t get rattled. The jury will see it.&quot;&quot;I know,&quot; she whispered shakily. &quot;There&#039;s so many people here.&quot;&quot;A Ewing on trial was bound to bring a media circus. We talked about that.&quot;&quot;I know,&quot; she said again.JR and the family had come into the courtroom a few minutes ago. She&#039;d refused to so much as even look in their direction.&quot;Sue Ellen?&quot; Kiefer&#039;s voice was calm and cool, &quot;it&#039;s all going to be okay.&quot;**&quot;&quot;What was that all about?&quot; Sue Ellen asked as Kiefer returned from his side bar at the bench.&quot;The DA was notifying the judge that he was moving around the order of his witnesses. He pushed Kristen from first to last.&quot;&quot;Why?&quot;&quot;I don&#039;t know. But I don&#039;t like it. He looks a bit too smug for my taste.&quot;Sue Ellen started to reply, but was interrupted by the judge. &quot;Is the state ready to make an opening statement?&quot;&quot;We are your honor,&quot; the DA stood up.&quot;Proceed,&quot; the judge told him. &quot;And keep it short and to the point. I won&#039;t have any grandstanding in this courtroom for the benefit of the press.&quot;***Cliff raised his right hand, swore to tell the truth, and sat down in the witness box.&quot;Mr. Barnes,&quot; the DA asked him. &quot;You&#039;re not a big fan of the Ewings, are you?&quot;&quot;That&#039;s putting it mildly,&quot; Cliff laughed. &quot;I hate them.&quot;The DA walked Cliff through his version of the Barnes/Ewing feud, then shifted his focus to his relationship with Sue Ellen.&quot;Mr. Barnes, have you ever had a romantic relationship with Sue Ellen Ewing?&quot;&quot;Yes.&quot;&quot;Was the relationship sexual in nature?&quot;&quot;Oh, yes.&quot;&quot;And this affair took place while she was married to JR Ewing, correct?&quot;&quot;Correct.&quot;&quot;You filed a paternity suit against Mrs. Ewing, did you not?&quot;&quot;I did.&quot;&quot;Why?&quot;&quot;I thought her son was mine and not JR&#039;s.&quot;&quot;Was he?&quot;&quot;No.&quot;&quot;How did Mrs. Ewing react to the suit?&quot;&quot;She was angry. Threatened to sue me for defamation. But she couldn&#039;t. She knew I was telling the truth about possibly being the baby&#039;s father.&quot;&quot;So, Mrs. Ewing conducted an affair with you behind her husband&#039;s back, got pregnant, and tried to deny that you might be the father. That&#039;s what you&#039;re saying?&quot;&quot;That&#039;s exactly what I&#039;m saying.&quot;&quot;Doesn&#039;t say much about her character, does it?&quot;&quot;No. I guess not.&quot;&quot;Mr. Barnes, did Mr. Ewing know you and his wife were having an affair?&quot;&quot;Not at first. But he found out.&quot;&quot;Was Mrs. Ewing upset that he found out?&quot;&quot;No. Not really. She hated him. She was glad he knew she was sleeping with his blood enemy. She wanted to hurt him. So did I, actually. The reason I was ever interested in her in the first place was because she was married to JR. I knew it would eat him alive. Anyway, she didn&#039;t care. She even offered to divorce him for me.&quot;&quot;No further questions.&quot;&quot;Mr. Kiefer?&quot; The judge said. &quot;Any questions?&quot;&quot;Yes,&quot; Kiefer stood up. &quot;Thank you.&quot;He moved to stand in front of the witness box. &quot;Mr. Barnes, who ended your affair? You or Mrs. Ewing?&quot;&quot;I did.&quot;&quot;Why?&quot;&quot;It just wasn&#039;t working out.&quot;&quot;Really? And would the reason be because you were afraid an affair with a married woman would derail your hopes to run for political office?&quot;&quot;Partly.&quot;&quot;I see. Now, you testified that Mrs. Ewing was prepared to leave her husband for you.&quot;&quot;Yes.&quot;&quot;So she was committed to you?&quot;&quot;She was committed to getting away from JR. He made her life a living hell.&quot;&quot;Uh huh. You testified that you seduced her to get back at Mr. Ewing.&quot;&quot;No, I said one of the reasons I was interested in her at first was to get back at JR.&quot;&quot;So, you seduced a married woman, who you knew was miserable, for no other reason than to hurt her husband. Then when she was totally committed to you and ready to leave her husband, you dumped her because of your own career ambitions. Then you humiliated her in public by filing a paternity suit even after she told you the baby belonged to her husband. Is that correct?&quot;&quot;Now listen, when you put it like that, it sounds bad…&quot;&quot;It sounds bad because it is bad,&quot; Kiefer cut him off. &quot;Mr. Barnes, it amazes me that you would expect this jury or anyone else to give any weight to your assessment of Mrs. Ewing&#039;s character given your own disgusting behavior. I have no further use for this witness..&quot;***Sue Ellen shifted uncomfortably in her chair. It had been a long, stressful day. Jock, Miss Ellie, and Bobby had all testified against her - all of them detailing her horrible relationship with JR and her battles with alcohol. They spoke of her emotional breakdowns, her drinking while pregnant, and her seeming hatred of her husband.Pam was on the stand now, covering the same territory with the DA.&quot;Thank you, Mrs. Ewing,&quot; the DA finally said. &quot;Nothing further.&quot;&quot;Mr. Kiefer?&quot; The judge asked.&quot;Thank you, your honor,&quot; he stood. &quot;Just a few questions. Mrs. Ewing, how would you describe your own personal relationship with Sue Ellen Ewing?&quot;&quot;She&#039;s my friend.&quot;&quot;You care for her?&quot;&quot;Yes. Very much.&quot;&quot;Even after all you&#039;ve testified to? Even after her affair with your brother?&quot;&quot;Yes. Sue Ellen is a good person. Everything that she&#039;s been through was caused by JR and Cliff. They&#039;ve both treated her horribly.&quot;&quot;Mrs. Ewing, do you believe Sue Ellen Ewing shot her husband?&quot;&quot;No, I don&#039;t,&quot; Pam said firmly.&quot;Why not?&quot;&quot;She has a lot of problems, but I don&#039;t think she would ever hurt him.&quot;&quot;Why?&quot;&quot;Because she loves her son. And she.loves her husband too. In spite of everything.&quot;&quot;Thank you, Mrs. Ewing. No further questions.&quot;&quot;We&#039;ll recess for the day,&quot; the judge said. &quot;The trial will resume first thing tomorrow morning.&quot;Sue Ellen and Kiefer kept their seats as everyone else stood up and filed out of the courtroom.&quot;That was just awful.&quot;&quot;Yes,&quot; Kiefer agreed. &quot;I wish I could tell you the worst is over, but it&#039;s not. Tomorrow JR will testify. Then your sister. It&#039;s going to get very, very bad before it gets better, Sue Ellen.&quot;***Sue Ellen rolled over, groaned, and picked up the phone. &quot;Yes?&quot;&quot;Did I wake you, honey? I&#039;m sorry. It&#039;s still pretty early.&quot;Sue Ellen took a deep breath and bit back a groan. &quot;It was a difficult day, JR. I am exhausted.&quot;&quot;Yes. Of course. I won&#039;t keep you. I just…&quot;&quot;What, JR? What do you want?&quot;&quot;To tell you how sorry I am. Hearing all that testimony today…&quot;&quot;Don&#039;t,&quot; she stopped him. &quot;I can&#039;t talk about it.&quot;&quot;I know. Anyway, I just wanted to apologize. And to tell you that I&#039;ll do my best not to hurt you tomorrow.&quot;&quot;You always hurt me, JR. Even when you promise not to.&quot;&quot;Sue Ellen…&quot; she heard him sigh and grumble something under his breath. &quot;Goodnight, honey.&quot;She heard the line go dead and hung up the phone Damn that man. Couldn&#039;t he ever just leave her alone and in peace?***JR swore to tell the truth, sat down in the witness box, and fixed his eyes on Sue Ellen&#039;s face. She looked worn out, nervous, and sad. He sighed heavily and bit back a curse. He hated seeing her this way, especially since he knew it was all his fault.&quot;Mr. Ewing,&quot; the DA spoke, &quot;how would you describe your marriage?&quot;JR cut his eyes to the DA and shrugged. &quot;Not sure I can describe my marriage accurately.&quot;&quot;Try, Mr. Ewing. Would you say it was healthy and happy?&quot;&quot;At times.&quot;&quot;And at other times?&quot;&quot;Not so much.&quot;&quot;So your marriage is rocky?&quot;&quot;You could say that.&quot;&quot;You&#039;ve had affairs?&quot;&quot;Yes.&quot;&quot;How many?&quot;&quot;Too many to count.&quot;&quot;And your wife has had affairs too?&quot;&quot;At least one.&quot;&quot;With Mr. Barnes?&quot;&quot;Yes.&quot;&quot;Mr. Ewing, does your wife have a drinking problem?&quot;&quot;Yes.&quot;&quot;Is it bad?&quot;&quot;What do you mean?&quot;&quot;I mean has she ever hurt anyone when she&#039;s been drunk.&quot;&quot;Not to my knowledge.&quot;&quot;Really? Because we&#039;ve heard testimony from your own family in this courtroom that she drank while pregnant, you put her away in a sanitarium, she crashed her car drunk while trying to escape, and almost killed your unborn son.&quot;&quot;Yes… but…&quot;&quot;So she has hurt someone while drunk then.&quot;&quot;Yes,&quot; JR practically snarled.&quot;You and your wife weren&#039;t getting along at all before the shooting, were you?&quot;&quot;No.&quot;&quot;Did she ever mention divorce?&quot;&quot;Yes.&quot;&quot;Did you?&quot;&quot;Yes.&quot;&quot;Around the time you were shot, you were having an affair, were you not?&quot;&quot;Yes. Around that time. I broke things off shortly before I was shot.&quot;&quot;That affair was with your wife&#039;s sister, Kristen Shepherd, correct?&quot;&quot;Yes,&quot; JR growled his answer.There was a murmur of shock in the courtroom. The judge banged his gavel and ordered silence from the spectators.&quot;Mr. Ewing,&quot; the DA cleared his throat and continued, &quot;was your wife aware that you&#039;d been sleeping with her sister?&quot;&quot;Yes.&quot;&quot;And how did she feel about that?&quot;&quot;How do you think she felt?&quot; JR snapped. &quot;She was hurt.&quot;&quot;And angry?&quot;&quot;Yes.&quot;&quot;Mr. Ewing, the night of the shooting, you and your wife had an argument, did you not?&quot;&quot;Yes.&quot;&quot;What about?&quot;&quot;My brother had left Southfork. It was over something I&#039;d done. Sue Ellen chastised and embarrassed me in front of my parents.&quot;&quot;And that made you angry?&quot;&quot;Very angry.&quot;&quot;What did you say to her that night, Mr. Ewing?&quot;JR shifted uncomfortably. He looked back at Sue Ellen. She looked sick to her stomach.&quot;Mr. Ewing?&quot; The DA pressed him.&quot;I told her she was a drunk and an unfit mother. I told her I was putting her back into a sanitarium and then divorcing her.&quot;&quot;And how did she react?&quot;&quot;Not well.&quot;&quot;Did she threaten to kill you, Mr. Ewing?&quot;&quot;I don&#039;t remember.&quot;&quot;How convenient, Mr. Ewing,&quot; the DA shook his head. &quot;Nothing further.&quot;&quot;Mr. Kiefer?&quot; The judge asked. &quot;Cross examination?&quot;&quot;Yes,&quot; Kiefer stood up. &quot;Thank you, your honor.&quot;He walked to stand in front of JR and took a deep breath. &quot;Mr. Ewing, your marriage has been difficult, hasn&#039;t it?&quot;&quot;Yes.&quot;&quot;And whose fault is that?&quot;&quot;Mine,&quot; JR said softly. &quot;All mine.&quot;&quot;Can you elaborate?&quot;&quot;Sue Ellen was a perfect wife. Beautiful. Loving. Faithful. I mistreated her horribly. I had so many affairs. She was always alone. I never…&quot;&quot;What?&quot;&quot;I never even bothered to try to be a good husband to her.&quot;&quot;Why? Didn&#039;t you love her?&quot;&quot;I love her very much.&quot;&quot;Then why did you mistreat her? Why did you cheat?&quot;&quot;I don&#039;t know,&quot; JR dropped his eyes. &quot;I&#039;m a bastard and a fool.&quot;&quot;Mr. Ewing, you said you love your wife.&quot;&quot;Yes.&quot;&quot;Still? Even today, when she sits here in the courtroom accused of trying to kill you?&quot;&quot;Yes. I love her as much as I ever did. More.&quot;&quot;Do you think Sue Ellen is guilty?&quot;&quot;I don&#039;t know if she shot me or not. But even if she did, she isn&#039;t guilty. The blame is all mine.&quot;&quot;Mr. Ewing, do you want your wife to go to prison?&quot;&quot;No. I want to take her home to be with our son. I want to make it up to her for all those awful years. I want another chance with her.&quot;&quot;Do you think you deserve one?&quot;&quot;No. I know I don&#039;t.&quot;&quot;Mr. Ewing, do you think Sue Ellen is dangerous?&quot;&quot;Absolutely not. She&#039;s sober, in therapy, getting the help she needs. She&#039;s not dangerous at all.&quot;&quot;Thank you, Mr. Ewing. No further questions.&quot;&quot;You&#039;re honor,&quot; The DA stood, &quot;Redirect?&quot;&quot;Go ahead,&quot; the judge nodded.&quot;Mr. Ewing you and others have testified that you mistreated your wife for years, that she had gotten to the point that she despised you, that you had threatened her repeatedly with leaving her penniless in a divorce, that the night of the shooting you made that threat again, and that she was drunk and upset enough to hurt you or someone else that night In spite of your defense of her as your victim and your declaration of love, even you think she pulled the trigger, don&#039;t you?&quot;&quot;I don&#039;t know,&quot; JR answered.&quot;You don&#039;t know? Or you just can&#039;t bring yourself to say it?&quot;&quot;I don&#039;t know,&quot; JR said again.&quot;Again, how convenient. I have nothing further for this witness.&quot;&quot;The witness is excused,&quot; the judge said flatly. &quot;The District Attorney will call his next witness.&quot;&quot;The state calls Miss Kristen Sheppard to the stand.&quot;***</blockquote>

[QUOTE="CryptCreeper72, post: 262283, member: 5055"] I don't own any of the characters in this story and no copyright infringement is intended. This fic is an alternate timeline and features a totally different resolution to the "Who Shot JR?" plot. The timeline breaks at episode four of season four of "Dallas." *** Shot Through the Heart Part Nine: *** "The Ewings are here," a young lawyer said to the DA. "Are you going to tell them?" "No," the DA shook his head. "I get the feeling a few of them want Sue Ellen to get off. JR even tried to strong arm me into dropping the charges. No need to let them know I have a witness to the shooting. They can find out in court just like everyone else." "Jock Ewing will be furious." "That's not my concern," the DA said. "My only concern is putting Sue Ellen Ewing away for as long as possible. She's dangerous. The Ewings will just have to deal with it." *** "Remember, Sue Ellen, whatever happens, don't get rattled. The jury will see it." "I know," she whispered shakily. "There's so many people here." "A Ewing on trial was bound to bring a media circus. We talked about that." "I know," she said again. JR and the family had come into the courtroom a few minutes ago. She'd refused to so much as even look in their direction. "Sue Ellen?" Kiefer's voice was calm and cool, "it's all going to be okay." **" "What was that all about?" Sue Ellen asked as Kiefer returned from his side bar at the bench. "The DA was notifying the judge that he was moving around the order of his witnesses. He pushed Kristen from first to last." "Why?" "I don't know. But I don't like it. He looks a bit too smug for my taste." Sue Ellen started to reply, but was interrupted by the judge. "Is the state ready to make an opening statement?" "We are your honor," the DA stood up. "Proceed," the judge told him. "And keep it short and to the point. I won't have any grandstanding in this courtroom for the benefit of the press." *** Cliff raised his right hand, swore to tell the truth, and sat down in the witness box. "Mr. Barnes," the DA asked him. "You're not a big fan of the Ewings, are you?" "That's putting it mildly," Cliff laughed. "I hate them." The DA walked Cliff through his version of the Barnes/Ewing feud, then shifted his focus to his relationship with Sue Ellen. "Mr. Barnes, have you ever had a romantic relationship with Sue Ellen Ewing?" "Yes." "Was the relationship sexual in nature?" "Oh, yes." "And this affair took place while she was married to JR Ewing, correct?" "Correct." "You filed a paternity suit against Mrs. Ewing, did you not?" "I did." "Why?" "I thought her son was mine and not JR's." "Was he?" "No." "How did Mrs. Ewing react to the suit?" "She was angry. Threatened to sue me for defamation. But she couldn't. She knew I was telling the truth about possibly being the baby's father." "So, Mrs. Ewing conducted an affair with you behind her husband's back, got pregnant, and tried to deny that you might be the father. That's what you're saying?" "That's exactly what I'm saying." "Doesn't say much about her character, does it?" "No. I guess not." "Mr. Barnes, did Mr. Ewing know you and his wife were having an affair?" "Not at first. But he found out." "Was Mrs. Ewing upset that he found out?" "No. Not really. She hated him. She was glad he knew she was sleeping with his blood enemy. She wanted to hurt him. So did I, actually. The reason I was ever interested in her in the first place was because she was married to JR. I knew it would eat him alive. Anyway, she didn't care. She even offered to divorce him for me." "No further questions." "Mr. Kiefer?" The judge said. "Any questions?" "Yes," Kiefer stood up. "Thank you." He moved to stand in front of the witness box. "Mr. Barnes, who ended your affair? You or Mrs. Ewing?" "I did." "Why?" "It just wasn't working out." "Really? And would the reason be because you were afraid an affair with a married woman would derail your hopes to run for political office?" "Partly." "I see. Now, you testified that Mrs. Ewing was prepared to leave her husband for you." "Yes." "So she was committed to you?" "She was committed to getting away from JR. He made her life a living hell." "Uh huh. You testified that you seduced her to get back at Mr. Ewing." "No, I said one of the reasons I was interested in her at first was to get back at JR." "So, you seduced a married woman, who you knew was miserable, for no other reason than to hurt her husband. Then when she was totally committed to you and ready to leave her husband, you dumped her because of your own career ambitions. Then you humiliated her in public by filing a paternity suit even after she told you the baby belonged to her husband. Is that correct?" "Now listen, when you put it like that, it sounds bad…" "It sounds bad because it is bad," Kiefer cut him off. "Mr. Barnes, it amazes me that you would expect this jury or anyone else to give any weight to your assessment of Mrs. Ewing's character given your own disgusting behavior. I have no further use for this witness.." *** Sue Ellen shifted uncomfortably in her chair. It had been a long, stressful day. Jock, Miss Ellie, and Bobby had all testified against her - all of them detailing her horrible relationship with JR and her battles with alcohol. They spoke of her emotional breakdowns, her drinking while pregnant, and her seeming hatred of her husband. Pam was on the stand now, covering the same territory with the DA. "Thank you, Mrs. Ewing," the DA finally said. "Nothing further." "Mr. Kiefer?" The judge asked. "Thank you, your honor," he stood. "Just a few questions. Mrs. Ewing, how would you describe your own personal relationship with Sue Ellen Ewing?" "She's my friend." "You care for her?" "Yes. Very much." "Even after all you've testified to? Even after her affair with your brother?" "Yes. Sue Ellen is a good person. Everything that she's been through was caused by JR and Cliff. They've both treated her horribly." "Mrs. Ewing, do you believe Sue Ellen Ewing shot her husband?" "No, I don't," Pam said firmly. "Why not?" "She has a lot of problems, but I don't think she would ever hurt him." "Why?" "Because she loves her son. And she.loves her husband too. In spite of everything." "Thank you, Mrs. Ewing. No further questions." "We'll recess for the day," the judge said. "The trial will resume first thing tomorrow morning." Sue Ellen and Kiefer kept their seats as everyone else stood up and filed out of the courtroom. "That was just awful." "Yes," Kiefer agreed. "I wish I could tell you the worst is over, but it's not. Tomorrow JR will testify. Then your sister. It's going to get very, very bad before it gets better, Sue Ellen." *** Sue Ellen rolled over, groaned, and picked up the phone. "Yes?" "Did I wake you, honey? I'm sorry. It's still pretty early." Sue Ellen took a deep breath and bit back a groan. "It was a difficult day, JR. I am exhausted." "Yes. Of course. I won't keep you. I just…" "What, JR? What do you want?" "To tell you how sorry I am. Hearing all that testimony today…" "Don't," she stopped him. "I can't talk about it." "I know. Anyway, I just wanted to apologize. And to tell you that I'll do my best not to hurt you tomorrow." "You always hurt me, JR. Even when you promise not to." "Sue Ellen…" she heard him sigh and grumble something under his breath. "Goodnight, honey." She heard the line go dead and hung up the phone Damn that man. Couldn't he ever just leave her alone and in peace? *** JR swore to tell the truth, sat down in the witness box, and fixed his eyes on Sue Ellen's face. She looked worn out, nervous, and sad. He sighed heavily and bit back a curse. He hated seeing her this way, especially since he knew it was all his fault. "Mr. Ewing," the DA spoke, "how would you describe your marriage?" JR cut his eyes to the DA and shrugged. "Not sure I can describe my marriage accurately." "Try, Mr. Ewing. Would you say it was healthy and happy?" "At times." "And at other times?" "Not so much." "So your marriage is rocky?" "You could say that." "You've had affairs?" "Yes." "How many?" "Too many to count." "And your wife has had affairs too?" "At least one." "With Mr. Barnes?" "Yes." "Mr. Ewing, does your wife have a drinking problem?" "Yes." "Is it bad?" "What do you mean?" "I mean has she ever hurt anyone when she's been drunk." "Not to my knowledge." "Really? Because we've heard testimony from your own family in this courtroom that she drank while pregnant, you put her away in a sanitarium, she crashed her car drunk while trying to escape, and almost killed your unborn son." "Yes… but…" "So she has hurt someone while drunk then." "Yes," JR practically snarled. "You and your wife weren't getting along at all before the shooting, were you?" "No." "Did she ever mention divorce?" "Yes." "Did you?" "Yes." "Around the time you were shot, you were having an affair, were you not?" "Yes. Around that time. I broke things off shortly before I was shot." "That affair was with your wife's sister, Kristen Shepherd, correct?" "Yes," JR growled his answer. There was a murmur of shock in the courtroom. The judge banged his gavel and ordered silence from the spectators. "Mr. Ewing," the DA cleared his throat and continued, "was your wife aware that you'd been sleeping with her sister?" "Yes." "And how did she feel about that?" "How do you think she felt?" JR snapped. "She was hurt." "And angry?" "Yes." "Mr. Ewing, the night of the shooting, you and your wife had an argument, did you not?" "Yes." "What about?" "My brother had left Southfork. It was over something I'd done. Sue Ellen chastised and embarrassed me in front of my parents." "And that made you angry?" "Very angry." "What did you say to her that night, Mr. Ewing?" JR shifted uncomfortably. He looked back at Sue Ellen. She looked sick to her stomach. "Mr. Ewing?" The DA pressed him. "I told her she was a drunk and an unfit mother. I told her I was putting her back into a sanitarium and then divorcing her." "And how did she react?" "Not well." "Did she threaten to kill you, Mr. Ewing?" "I don't remember." "How convenient, Mr. Ewing," the DA shook his head. "Nothing further." "Mr. Kiefer?" The judge asked. "Cross examination?" "Yes," Kiefer stood up. "Thank you, your honor." He walked to stand in front of JR and took a deep breath. "Mr. Ewing, your marriage has been difficult, hasn't it?" "Yes." "And whose fault is that?" "Mine," JR said softly. "All mine." "Can you elaborate?" "Sue Ellen was a perfect wife. Beautiful. Loving. Faithful. I mistreated her horribly. I had so many affairs. She was always alone. I never…" "What?" "I never even bothered to try to be a good husband to her." "Why? Didn't you love her?" "I love her very much." "Then why did you mistreat her? Why did you cheat?" "I don't know," JR dropped his eyes. "I'm a bastard and a fool." "Mr. Ewing, you said you love your wife." "Yes." "Still? Even today, when she sits here in the courtroom accused of trying to kill you?" "Yes. I love her as much as I ever did. More." "Do you think Sue Ellen is guilty?" "I don't know if she shot me or not. But even if she did, she isn't guilty. The blame is all mine." "Mr. Ewing, do you want your wife to go to prison?" "No. I want to take her home to be with our son. I want to make it up to her for all those awful years. I want another chance with her." "Do you think you deserve one?" "No. I know I don't." "Mr. Ewing, do you think Sue Ellen is dangerous?" "Absolutely not. She's sober, in therapy, getting the help she needs. She's not dangerous at all." "Thank you, Mr. Ewing. No further questions." "You're honor," The DA stood, "Redirect?" "Go ahead," the judge nodded. "Mr. Ewing you and others have testified that you mistreated your wife for years, that she had gotten to the point that she despised you, that you had threatened her repeatedly with leaving her penniless in a divorce, that the night of the shooting you made that threat again, and that she was drunk and upset enough to hurt you or someone else that night In spite of your defense of her as your victim and your declaration of love, even you think she pulled the trigger, don't you?" "I don't know," JR answered. "You don't know? Or you just can't bring yourself to say it?" "I don't know," JR said again. "Again, how convenient. I have nothing further for this witness." "The witness is excused," the judge said flatly. "The District Attorney will call his next witness." "The state calls Miss Kristen Sheppard to the stand." *** [/QUOTE]

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