A stray black dog lolls in the sunshine outside the courthouse here, where a murder trial of great interest to Australia has played out over the past four weeks.
asserted
trial → loll → weeks
One Australian reporter dubs him “Scabbers”.
asserted
reporter → dub → him
Next door is the court prison, where three Mexican men accused of murdering Perth brothers Jake and Callum Robinson, and their American friend Carter Rhoad, are locked up while they face trial.
asserted
they → accuse → trial
On the hillside there is a military cemetery from which you can see into the prison yard.
asserted
you → be → yard
On each day the court is in session, the accused are led down to the courtroom in their bright-orange prison jumpsuits and white shoes and seated on a trio of seats just behind their defence lawyers, their ankles cuffed to one another.
asserted
ankles → accuse → one
Just a metre or two to their left are Debra and Martin Robinson, parents of the slain Australian brothers, who have endured every minute of this trial, thousands of kilometres from home.
asserted
who → slay → home
They sit behind the prosecution bench with a translator, in spitting distance of the men charged with murdering their sons.
asserted
They → sit → sons
Martin wears a polo shirt with the logo of the Callum and Jake Robinson Foundation, a charity they established after their sons’ deaths.
asserted
they → wear → deaths
On the back is the foundation’s motto: “Live Bigger, Shine Brighter, Love Harder.”
asserted
motto → live → back
The judge sits behind a small wooden bench that looks like cheap timber, not hardwood or mahogany.
asserted
that → sit → timber
A lone court officer operates an audiovisual link and the air-conditioner, which at one point needed to be shut off so that people could hear the judge.
uncertain
people → operate → judge
The courtroom’s empty walls are white or grey and the floor is tiled.
asserted
floor → tile → ?
White fluorescent lights glow between the ceiling panels.
asserted
lights → glow → panels
On Wednesday, all seats were filled with reporters, including several Australians and their local “fixers”.
asserted
seats → fill → Australians
There is no jury, nor is there space for one; this case will be decided by a single judge alone.
asserted
case → be → judge
Can a form of justice be found in a place like this?
asserted
form → find → this
Debra and Martin Robinson hold out hope.
asserted
Robinson → hold → hope
Reporters wishing to attend court must pre-register.
asserted
pre → wish → court
In the foyer, a security officer marks your name off a typed list, before waving you inside.
asserted
officer → mark → you
You pass through a metal detector and into a sparse hallway, then up a flight of stairs.
asserted
You → pass → stairs
Visitors cannot bring phones or electronics into the courtroom, only pen and paper; there is a stand to deposit mobile phones just outside the courtroom door.
asserted
Visitors → bring → door
The hearing begins with the judge asking each person present in the room to state their name and affiliation – including members of the public gallery – as he checks the names off his own list.
asserted
he → begin → list
On Wednesday, he wore a teal shirt, green tie and black robes.
asserted
he → wear → shirt
After the defence eschewed the opportunity to cross-examine two final witnesses, with the end of the trial in sight, Debra Robinson rose to read a short statement.
asserted
Robinson → eschew → statement
“We sincerely appreciate the workload you have managed,” she told the judge.
asserted
she → appreciate → judge
Debra explained the pair had flights booked to return to Australia on October 9, and would appreciate the verdict being delivered before then.
asserted
verdict → explain → October
It was originally thought the verdict could come as soon as this week.
uncertain
verdict → think → week
“It would mean so much for us, as parents of Jake and Callum, to be here for the verdict,” Debra said, her voice cracking a little.
asserted
voice → mean → verdict
“We have travelled such a long way to seek justice for our sons and Carter.”
asserted
We → travel → sons
The judge disappeared for a few minutes and returned to the bench.
asserted
judge → disappear → bench
The closing arguments would be heard on October 8, he said, and the verdict delivered the following morning, giving them at least a chance of making a flight home that night.
asserted
verdict → close → flight
They would miss any sentencing, which will likely take place the following week.
asserted
which → miss → place
Wednesday’s hearing went smoothly and rapidly and, having started just after 1pm, was finished before 2pm.
asserted
hearing → go → pm
The accused men – alleged ringleader Jesus Gerardo, also known as El Kakas, Irineo Francisco and Angel Jesus – sat in silence throughout.
asserted
men → accuse → silence
One of them, Angel, briefly spoke to the judge to confirm they understood the next steps and did not wish to say anything.
asserted
they → speak → anything
When the hearing concluded, the judge came down to shake hands with the defence attorneys, and with the Robinsons.
asserted
judge → conclude → Robinsons
A port city of about 400,000 on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, it is a popular stop for cruise ships departing Los Angeles or San Diego.
asserted
it → depart → Angeles
On Thursday, the Ruby Princess was docked there, alongside the Carnival Panorama.
asserted
Princess → dock → Panorama
But travel to the surrounding desert and forests, or even cities such as Tijuana, and things are different.
asserted
things → travel → Tijuana
Baja California has a reputation for violent crime and cartel warfare, even if the statistics show improvement.
asserted
statistics → have → improvement
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
