Direct Examination Flashcards
Please introduce yourself to the members of the jury
Hi everyone I’m Ari Felder.
SAD
Ma’am, can you tell us why you are here today.
My husband…Morgan died in a plane crash. I’m here to talk about what happened.
SAD
Would you mind telling us when you first met Morgan Felder?
It was almost 10 years ago. smile I had just started a job at an elementary school, teaching art in Smithfield. pause I remember like it was yesterday.
HAPPY
Where did you meet Morgan Felder?
I was at a Gavin Degraw concert and my favorite song was playing. I looked over and saw Morgan’s eyes hooked on mine. I knew from the moment I saw him that was it for me. We clicked immediately. I felt like I could tell him anything. I felt safe. We got married five years later.
HAPPY
Ma’am can you tell us a little about your husband?
Morgan was the kindest person I have ever met. He was a lawyer, but had so much room in his heart. He spent most of his time working late hours to take on pro-bono cases. But it wasn’t just his professional life either. I mean that man couldn’t walk into a grocery store without making friends with a stranger.
HAPPY
Maam earlier you told us that your husband died in a plane crash, do you remember the date of that crash?
pause It was July 4th.
SAD
Do you know around what time that day the crash happened?
A little bit before 9:00 I think.
SAD
Do you know how the plane crashed?
No I don’t, I got a call from the police and they told me about the accident, they said that Morgan and the pilot died after crashing into a mountain.
SAD
Do you know who was flying the plane that night?
Morgan’s boss was
NORMAL
Who is his boss?
Reese Campbell. He was a partner at the law firm that Morgan worked at.
ANNOYED
I want to talk about Reese Campbell. Have you ever met him before?
Yeah a few times.
NORMAL
Can you tell us about him?
Along with being the partner of Morgan’s firm, Reese owned a luxury plane company, Koller Campbell Air… they owned the plane Morgan died in.
SAD/ANNOYED
Can you describe your husband’s relationship with Reese?
Morgan would do whatever Reese asked if it meant that it would impress Reese. Morgan wanted to make Partner at the firm so bad, he knew how much it would mean to our family’s future.
SAD/ANNOYED
Ma’am did you ever talk to Reese Campbell about his flying experience?
Yes I did in June 2021
NORMAL
What day in June?
the 17th
NORMAL
What was going on that day?
The firm was hosting a night club event to meet new clients. I didn’t want to go, but Morgan swore up and down that he was close to making partner and needed to get on Reese’s good side, so we went.
NORMAL
Did you talk to Reese about piloting that night?
It wasn’t really me talking to Reese, more Reese talking to everyone else. He was going on and on about how he was going to be a professional pilot.
SLIGHTLY ANNOYED
Ma’am how did you respond to that?
I got fed up with how much Reese was talking down to all of us and asked him what kind of flight experience he actually had
SLIGHTLY ANNOYED
What did Reese say?
He got real quiet. He admitted that he was still no professional pilot
NORMAL
Ma’am did Reese Campbell tell you if he at least had his license to fly in june?
Yeah, but he said only had his basic license, but that he was about to get his advanced certification in a few weeks.
NORMAL
Ma’am did Mr. Campbell ever tell you what that advanced certification did?
Yeah he said that once he got it he would be able to fly in bad weather and at night.
NORMAL
Do you know if he ever got that certification?
I thought he did.
ANGER
What do you mean?
A few weeks later he told me he was fully certified.
ANGER
When was that?
July 4th… the day Morgan died.
SAD
Ms. Felder I want to walk through exactly what Reese said. When did you speak to him that day?
It was in the morning, Morgan always tended to leave his phone on speaker around me and I could hear their conversation.
SAD/NORMAL
Do you know why Mr. Campbell called?
Reese said he wanted Morgan to come on a test flight. Reese said it was a new flight path that he planned to take his customers on.
SAD SAD SAD
What did Morgan say in response?
I mean he looked apprehensive at first. But Campbell quickly said that Morgan was his favorite associate, and that’s all it took. Morgan agreed to go on the flight.
SAD
Was that the end of the call?
Almost, but I decided to butt in and ask some questions.
NORMAL
What did you ask Reese Cambell?
I asked Reese if he had finished the training he had mentioned in June.
NORMAL
What did Reese say?
Reese Told me. He. Told. Me. He Promised me that he had all his certification. He said he was fully trained. He told me he had flown that route a dozen times before.
ANGRY ANGRY ANGRY
Ma’am I know this might be difficult to discuss, but did your husband ultimately go on that flight with Reese?
Yes he did, Reese told me he was certified, so I let him go.
ANGRY/SAD
Did you have any communications with your husband after he left to go flying with Mr. Campbell?
Yeah, we were texting, right up until the end.
SAD
Ma’am would you recognize those texts if I were to show them to you?
Yes, I would
SAD
You said around 8:30 you started getting concerned. Can you read the text messages Morgan sent you at that time?
“Reese has gone quiet. That is not like him.”
“Things are starting to get bumpy. Reese looks really scared.
SAD
What was the last message Morgan sent you that night
“U were right. I’m sorry. I love.”
SAD
Did you ever speak to him again after he sent that message?
No, that’s the last thing I heard from him, that was the last thing my husband said to me.
SO UNBEARABLY SAD
