pulling it over and over again even when there was nothing in the clip. It was old Mrs. Harper from across the street that had the courage to hobble over and take the gun out of her hand before the police finally arrived. In the note that Agnes left with Rebecca for her sister she wrote, “This is not Rebecca’s fault. She is a good girl. I failed you. I am sorry for everything.”
In her eyes she had brought the monster into their family, she who had dealt with the redeemable and the unredeemable on the daily basis, rescued countless children from all manner of abusive situations could not see the beast that slept in her very bed. She had to put him down; she had to make it right.
The Austin Texas legal system did not see it that way. She might have gotten away with an insanity plea had she just shot him once from when she was sitting on the porch, but the district attorney painted a picture of a cold and calculated execution. He pressed that no act of vigilantism could go unpunished no matter the justification. It also did not help her case that majority of the jurors were male.
The emotional testimony of her niece and family, co-workers, neighbors or church parishioners speaking on her behalf about her character did not sway them a bit. All they saw was a woman taking the law into her own hands killing her husband in cold blood, something best not to be encouraged. Despite the best efforts of the defense, the jury found Agnes guilty of murder and sentenced her to forty years to life in prison with eligibility for parole after twenty; ten years for each extra bullet she fired into her husband.
When the judge asked her if she had anything to say she simply replied, “I only regret not taking that extra clip.”
After four years in prison, Shareef converted to Islam recruited by Sister Ailia Assad the original leader of the Sisters of Islam. Sister Ailia would turn the mantle over to Shareef making her leader after finally making parole for good behavior for a thirty-year prison term on a narcotics conviction.
Her older sister Marcia willingly took in her two children raising them as her own along with her husband Martin. Michael her oldest son, refused to forgive her for killing his father especially in front of him. When he became of age, he stopped seeing her all together and distanced himself from the rest of the family; he also refused to believe that his father molested Rebecca.
Stephanie goes to see her whenever she can; it is harder now that she goes to Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.
As for Rebecca, she eventually overcame the ordeal, graduated top of her class studying law becoming one of the youngest District Attorneys for the state of Austin, Texas, as well as an activist fighting for better laws to protect women and children. She is happily married with two children of her own; and every month she makes a trip to Gatesville to visit her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“If Sophia killed Buck,” bit back Sister Shareef, “Trust me…he deserved it and then some….and as far as whatever plans she might have had, she didn’t mention any on the count that she was supposed to be dead . But good luck to you when you do find her, because judging from what I just saw…” She gave off a snide smile, “You’re gonna need it. Now…unless you have anymore “questions” for me, may I go now?”
Armitage seeing that this interview was officially going nowhere got up and knocked on the steel door for the guards to come in and escort Sister Shareef away.
Mark stopped her for one final question, “What do you mean Officer Wilford got what he deserved and then some?”
“I find it very ill to speak of the deceased,” Sister Shareef returned sarcastically, “But if you did some “real” F.B.I work, you’d find out that the dearly departed Wilford wasn’t only a husband and a father…”
As the guards escorted Sister Shareef back to her cell, Armitage sat back down on the table,
In her eyes she had brought the monster into their family, she who had dealt with the redeemable and the unredeemable on the daily basis, rescued countless children from all manner of abusive situations could not see the beast that slept in her very bed. She had to put him down; she had to make it right.
The Austin Texas legal system did not see it that way. She might have gotten away with an insanity plea had she just shot him once from when she was sitting on the porch, but the district attorney painted a picture of a cold and calculated execution. He pressed that no act of vigilantism could go unpunished no matter the justification. It also did not help her case that majority of the jurors were male.
The emotional testimony of her niece and family, co-workers, neighbors or church parishioners speaking on her behalf about her character did not sway them a bit. All they saw was a woman taking the law into her own hands killing her husband in cold blood, something best not to be encouraged. Despite the best efforts of the defense, the jury found Agnes guilty of murder and sentenced her to forty years to life in prison with eligibility for parole after twenty; ten years for each extra bullet she fired into her husband.
When the judge asked her if she had anything to say she simply replied, “I only regret not taking that extra clip.”
After four years in prison, Shareef converted to Islam recruited by Sister Ailia Assad the original leader of the Sisters of Islam. Sister Ailia would turn the mantle over to Shareef making her leader after finally making parole for good behavior for a thirty-year prison term on a narcotics conviction.
Her older sister Marcia willingly took in her two children raising them as her own along with her husband Martin. Michael her oldest son, refused to forgive her for killing his father especially in front of him. When he became of age, he stopped seeing her all together and distanced himself from the rest of the family; he also refused to believe that his father molested Rebecca.
Stephanie goes to see her whenever she can; it is harder now that she goes to Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.
As for Rebecca, she eventually overcame the ordeal, graduated top of her class studying law becoming one of the youngest District Attorneys for the state of Austin, Texas, as well as an activist fighting for better laws to protect women and children. She is happily married with two children of her own; and every month she makes a trip to Gatesville to visit her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“If Sophia killed Buck,” bit back Sister Shareef, “Trust me…he deserved it and then some….and as far as whatever plans she might have had, she didn’t mention any on the count that she was supposed to be dead . But good luck to you when you do find her, because judging from what I just saw…” She gave off a snide smile, “You’re gonna need it. Now…unless you have anymore “questions” for me, may I go now?”
Armitage seeing that this interview was officially going nowhere got up and knocked on the steel door for the guards to come in and escort Sister Shareef away.
Mark stopped her for one final question, “What do you mean Officer Wilford got what he deserved and then some?”
“I find it very ill to speak of the deceased,” Sister Shareef returned sarcastically, “But if you did some “real” F.B.I work, you’d find out that the dearly departed Wilford wasn’t only a husband and a father…”
As the guards escorted Sister Shareef back to her cell, Armitage sat back down on the table,
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