Page 54 of Deliver Me

“No, not at all,” the doctor responded. Mia knew that the question was asked to give her more of an opportunity to explain the specifics to the judge. “Most people that experience it are not a danger to themselves or others, but in Gabriel’s situation it may have made it far more difficult for him to react rationally.”

Amy nodded, apparently content with the doctor’s explanation. “Dr. Engell, let’s back up for one moment. I want to ask you about something else that you mentioned a few moments ago. You said that the first time you evaluated Gabriel, he had recently experienced the trauma of murdering his father. Could you explain further what you mean by that statement?”

“Killing his father was an extremely traumatic event for him. His actions were triggered by the situation that he found himself in and the already existing psychological problems that had been created by the abuse at the hands of both Richard Miller and Seth Wiseman.”

“Can you explain the type of reaction that someone that had lived through those experiences might have under those circumstances?”

“The prospect of going back to Richard’s would have been a triggering event in itself. Gabriel had recently escaped from a very abusive situation and the idea of being returned to that environment would have been overwhelming, even without the psychological effects of his time with Seth.”

“I see,” Amy said. “And how would you characterize his time with Seth?”

“It is evident, in my opinion, that Gabriel was a victim of human trafficking. Runaway teens are especially vulnerable to predation of this type, and Seth used many of the tactics that traffickers use to control and manipulate their victims.”

“Tactics such as?”

“They often begin by offering these teens a safe space, somewhere to go where they have freedom and control—both things that would have been intensely important to Gabriel after his escape from Richard.”

“This is intentional on the part of the predator?”

“Very much,” Doctor Engell agreed. “Once the teen feels safe, they offer them drugs and other illegal substances, both as a means of keeping them compliant and as a hook. It creates a physical dependency and is the first of many things that they can use as leverage.”

Amy faced the doctor, her expression one of practiced curiosity. “Why would they need to have leverage over the teen?”

“Each case of illegal activity or morally compromising behavior adds another layer of isolation and embarrassment that prevents the victim from feeling that they would be able to reintegrate into society,” Doctor Engell explained carefully. “First drugs, then, in cases such as Gabriel’s, it may include committing other crimes or acts of violence, and in many cases prostitution.”

“This gives the trafficker control over the teen?” Amy asked.

“It does,” the doctor agreed. “Isolating them with shame can prevent them from reaching out to others for help. Gabriel firmly believed his parents would never accept him, and Seth told Gabriel that he would reveal those secrets if Gabriel ever left.”

“But Gabriel did attempt to leave,” Amy reminded her.

“The tactics used are effective but not infallible. Gabriel’s lucky that he was considered valuable by Seth or it’s very likelythat he would have simply been killed for attempting to leave. As it was, he was tortured until his abuser no longer feared he would risk escaping.”

“And when Gabriel’s father came and tried to bring him home? What would that experience have been like for him?”

“He would have felt extremely threatened. He knew what Richard would do to him if he were returned to his uncle’s care and what Seth would do if he tried to leave. He believed his parents would never accept him back if they had learned the truth. There was nothing that he wouldn’t have done in that moment to prevent those things from happening.”

Amy paused, letting the implications of the psychologist’s last statement settle over the room before speaking again. “Doctor, have you evaluated Gabriel recently?”

“Yes, we’ve spoken several times over the past few months.”

“In your professional opinion, Doctor Engell, do you believe that he’s dangerous?”

Dr. Engell looked at Gabriel, taking time to consider the answer to the question, reassuring the judge that she wasn’t rushing her words or failing to properly consider the potential harm he could cause if she were wrong.

“No, I don’t believe that he’s a significant risk to society,” she said firmly. “The conditions surrounding his original offense were unique, an unfortunate combination of the worst possible circumstances, in which an abused young man with severe PTSD was put into a situation where he felt that he had no recourse other than to resort to violence.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Amy said, smiling at her politely as the opposing attorney tapped his pen on the table irritably. “I have no further questions for you.”

Mia watched, lips pressed into a thin line as the prosecution interrogated the witness, but Dr. Engell spent a great deal of time in the courtroom and her answers remained calm andconsistent. No, there was no evidence of premeditation in his actions. No, she did not believe he needed to remain in prison for the safety of the public.

“We will resume tomorrow morning,” Judge Turner decided when Dr. Engell was dismissed from the witness stand. The jury looked as tired as Mia felt as they realized they would have to return to the courtroom again for another day of proceedings and they all filed out slowly when the gavel dismissed them.

Chapter Twenty-Two

“Will your client be addressing the court?” the judge asked Amy the following morning.

“He will be, Your Honor.”

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