Jeff the Killer vs The State of Louisiana

June 5th, 2003. The courthouse was abuzz with conversation. Seats were filled to the brim, reporters filled the streets and the building. This case had become international news, and for good reason. For three years, a young murderer had been terrorizing the United States, and possibly other countries as well. His first killing had been widely publicized, with the only survivor, his brother, being very vocal about the event.

In all of his killings, few would survive, but those who did described a pale boy with a burnt face, and an unnatural smile. Every scene was nearly the same, with the dead being stabbed to death, and blood being splattered onto the walls. A message was left in this blood, and that message? "Go to sleep." This was a sentence that gripped America with fear. However, when the perpetrator was finally caught... the job wasn't done.

Jane Richardson, a woman who had been experimented on by the government, finally brought the killer in. His identity? Jeffery Woods. The streets were alight with camera flashes as the teenager was brought in, caged to a dolly, his whole body restrained as much as humanly possible. Ms. Richardson, dressed in a blue uniform, wheeled him up the steps of the courthouse, as her fellow officers kept the reporters at bay. When the group entered the courtroom, the chattering became shouting.

"ORDER! ORDER!" The judge shouted. "ORDER IN THE COURT!" He slammed his gavel down, the loud wooden bang hardly being audible over the screaming. Jane placed Jeff behind a desk, where a lawyer sat. He was relatively young, but he was hardly well dressed.

"Listen, kid." The lawyer spoke. "I can get these charges dropped, you just need to play ball."

"Why do I need a lawyer?" Jeff rolled his eyes.

"Because, kid, this is America. Innocent until proven guilty."

"Fine... I'm not sure why I can't just represent myself."

"That's the spirit. The name's James, by the way. James McGoodman." He extended his hand, and retracted it when he remembered the restraints.

"We now bring to session..." The judge spoke. "The State of Louisiana vs Jeffery Woods. Mr. Woods, you stand accused of several hundred murders in the first degree. How do you plead?"

"Not guilty!" Jeff called out.

"Then we'll begin. Ms. Lebowski, would you like to begin the proceedings?"

"Certainly, your honor." A well-dressed woman with a horribly disfigured face stood. Jane Lebowski, also known as Big Jane Lebowski, was a victim of Jeffery Woods. She had been burned alive by the boy, and only barely survived. She was already on track to become a lawyer, and the state had decided that she would be the perfect attorney to represent the state itself in the case. "Ladies and gentlemen of the court, the boy... Nay, the monster before you must be recognizable to you all. His face has circulated the internet, filled news headlines, and his catchphrase, 'go to sleep,' has haunted the sleep of millions of children across the globe. Can any one of you say that he is innocent?

"But, alas, that is not how our marvelous justice system works. So, I will prove to you, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Jeffery Woods is guilty of all charges." She moved to a television nearby, and produced a tape. She placed it in the VCR, and it began to play. The footage was captured by a young man with a rather old camera. He was hiding in his closet. Through the slats, his bedroom could be seen. A young woman lay lifeless on his bed, her body a mess. Footsteps filled his house, and though he could run, he feared reprisal. The door to his bedroom swung open, and in walked Jeff.

"Where are you hiding..." He said, looking around the room. "I'm not going to hurt you... Just come on out..." He looked to the closet, and chuckled. That chuckle became a laugh. "Oh... There you are!"

This elicited a scream from the young man as he ran full speed at the closet door. It shattered as he ran into it, causing the young man to fall to the floor. Jeff stood over him, and drew closer, holding his knife out of frame. "...Just go to sleep." The footage continued, long past his death. As Lebowski fast-forwarded the footage, the police finally came into view, finding the camera still rolling.

"This is just one of many exhibits, but it is one many of you may recognize. It is clear that, while Jeffery was younger in this footage, it is still him. It is also clear that, not only does he display no remorse for his brutal slayings, but he enjoys the act. It is a game to him."

"Objection!" McGoodman cried out. "That is hearsay. There is nothing to prove that this act was enjoyable for my client."

"Overruled." The judge spoke. "Continue, Ms. Lebowski."

The proceedings continued for many hours. Horrible, gruesome photos were displayed, all of which were scenes from Jeff's many murders. The audience would often react audibly, and some, more viscerally. Finally, A witness was brought to the stand, Liu Woods.

"Liu, tell us about the night of your parents' murder." Ms. Lebowski spoke.

"Well, that night, Jeff had returned from the hospital after his incident with Randy, Keith, and Troy. Though I wanted to celebrate his coming home, our mom had us go to our rooms. I fell asleep listening to music, so I didn't hear anything, but I faintly remember Jeff waking me up before leaving. That morning, I found our parents bodies..." He put a hand to his face, and started crying loudly. Tears and snot streamed down his face as he sobbed uncontrollably.

"What his own brother had to go through..." Ms. Lebowski turned to the jury. "And what so many others had to experience is harrowing to say the very least. How could anyone do such a horrible thing, to their own family? It is clear that Jeffery is a menace to society, and should be locked away forever."

"Mr. McGoodman," The judge looked to Jeff's lawyer. "You may now question the witness."

"Gladly." He had a smug smile across his face. He approached the stand, and looked at the jury. "Liu, is it true that you were institutionalized?"

"Uhm..." Liu wiped his face. "Y-Yes, I was."

"And is it true that, while in this institution, you were in a relationship with an adult woman?"

"I don't... Yes, but..."

"Aha!" McGoodman cried out. "As you can see, the witness is unreliable."

"Objection, his relationship with this nurse has nothing to do with the case at hand."

"I must agree, McGoodman. Keep all details relevant to the case at hand, or I will have you held in contempt of course." The judge glared at him. "Now, if you have a witness of your own, I suggest you call them to the stand."

"Of course... I call to the stand, Randy!"

A young man, roughly two years older than Jeff, approached the stand. He sat on the somewhat uncomfortable chair, and cleared his throat. "Uhm... Hi, I'm Randy."

"Randy, is it true that you got into an altercation with my client after attempting to steal him and his brother's bikes?"

"Yes, that's true."

"And after he was invited to your house to make up, you threatened him with a flare gun, which resulted in much of the horrible disfiguration which my client is forced to live with?"

"Yes."

"And is it true that you were sent to Juvy, as the kids call it?"

"Yes, I went to JDC afterwards."

"Your honor, as you can clearly see, his actions were inspired by the harassment of a disturbed delinquent–"

"While I was in JDC, he killed my entire family." He glared at Jeff. "He killed my best friends, too. Keith and Troy. My family didn't do anything to him, they only wanted us to make friends."

"Well, I hardly see how that–"

"Then he tried to kill me, too!" He pulled up his shirt, revealing a large scar across his chest. "Jeff, I might not have been nice to you, but nothing I did warranted this! It didn't warrant any of this! You went on a killing spree because I was mean to you? Well guess what, teenagers are mean! Everyone gets bullied at one point or another, but most of us don't go killing people!"

"ORDER! ORDER!" The judge called out. "Randal, calm yourself. McGoodman, I think you made a poor choice in choosing your witness." The judge looked at the jury. "I think we can bring the proceedings to a close. Please, make your decision."

The jury all stood from their seats, and entered a room to the side. Not long passed, and when the jury sat down, the judge spoke once more. "Have you come to a decision?"

"Yes, your honor. We, the jury, find the defendant Jeffery Woods, guilty of all charges."

"Very well. Jeffery Woods, this court finds you guilty."

"WELL THEN THE COURT IS WRONG!" Jeff screamed out. He thrashed at his restraints. "YOU'RE ALL WRONG! THIS ISN'T MY FAULT, IT WAS YOUR FAULT! IT WAS SOCIETY'S FAULT! YOU'RE WHY I'M LIKE THIS!"

"ORDER! ORDER!" The judge slammed his gavel once more. "DAMMIT, I WILL HAVE ORDER!" He threw the gavel at Jeff's head, shutting him up. "JEFFERY WOODS, THIS COURT FINDS YOU IN CONTEMPT! Furthermore, given your age and the nature of your crimes, you have been legally declared an adult. As such, you will serve eight hundred and ninety three life sentences. You will have no chance for parole. Ms. Richardson, take him away!"

"It would be my honor, your honor." Jane smiled as she walked behind the dolly.

"No... NO! THIS IS WRONG! THIS ISN'T HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO GO!" Jeff cried out. "I'M IN THE RIGHT! I'M THE HERO! THIS SHOULDN'T BE HAPPENING!" Tears streamed down his face. "NO! NOOO! NOOOOOOOO!" His voice cracked as he was wheeled away.

The country rejoiced as the young killer was locked away for the rest of his natural born life. Thus ended the story of Jeff the Killer. It ended not with a climactic battle, or with a deadly police shootout, but with cheering, and a whimpering little boy. Though there would be copycats who were infatuated with him, such as Charlie, Nina, Silent Sonya, "The Bloody Painter," and many, many more, none would ever reach his level of infamy. This was the end of Jeff, and the legacy he left behind... Was rather pathetic.

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Written by Stevaniel
Content is available under CC BY-SA

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