[Bonus Chapter]
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Jonathan Crane's case was entirely different from William Earl's.
The tricks used in commercial fraud would not work against a mad scientist.
Lance understood this clearly. Jonathan Crane was undeniably guilty. There was no question about it. If it were simply a matter of proving guilt, Gordon could have handled it with any third-rate lawyer.
What Lance wanted was to pin the Scarecrow down completely, to ensure he would never walk free again.
To be honest, Lance would have preferred the death penalty.
But that was the problem with the law. Gotham followed the insanity defense system.
In simple terms, those with mental illness were presumed not guilty. They would be sent to psychiatric institutions for treatment, and only after being declared fully recovered would they stand trial again.
Jonathan Crane, the Scarecrow, happened to be a lunatic who had long injected himself with Fear Toxin. He suffered from delusions, paranoia, antisocial tendencies, and extreme psychopathy.
With all of that stacked against him, there was only one destination.
Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane, better known as Arkham Asylum.
Even if it could be proven that he was not mentally ill, Gotham had no death penalty.
In other words, even if he were declared sane, life imprisonment would be his only outcome.
That was not acceptable.
In Lance's view, as long as Jonathan Crane remained alive, there would always be people trying to break him out.
That was not what Gordon wanted. And fulfilling the client's objective was Lance's responsibility.
Was Arkham Asylum truly the only option?
Batman could not see the future, but Lance could already picture it. These people would escape again and again, commit new crimes, then be captured and sent back to Arkham as if returning home.
That was why these super-criminals had no fear. As long as they were labeled mentally ill, they always had an escape route.
A perfect cycle.
A vicious one.
So, if he wanted to pin Jonathan Crane down completely, leaving him no chance to escape and denying anyone the opportunity to use him to produce more fear gas or anything similar…
The best option was the death penalty.
If Gotham's laws could not impose it, then he would change his approach.
Federal court.
Lance had mentioned this idea to Batman once. The man had remained silent for a long time, but in the end, he did not object. Because it would not be vigilante justice.. but the law.
Now, in the courtroom.
Lance glanced at the defense attorney, a middle-aged man with perfectly combed hair, chatting casually with his assistant, not even sparing Lance a glance.
This was Gotham.
People only cared about appearances. Reputation, influence, power.
If you lacked those, even a glance in your direction was considered a waste.
On the other hand, once you reached the top of a field, people would rush to flatter you, even in Gotham.
Lance could not remember the last time he had been ignored in a courtroom.
But it did not matter. Once he sent Jonathan Crane onto the path to death row and completely destroyed this attorney's reputation and career, the man would surely find the time to look at him.
People like us are just that humble, Lance thought.
Bang! The judge struck the gavel.
"Defense, your opening statement."
The defense followed exactly the strategy Lance had expected.
"My Lord, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the core of this case is quite simple." The defense attorney rose to his feet. "My client, Dr. Jonathan Crane, is a severely mentally ill patient. He suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, paranoid personality disorder, and organic brain damage caused by prolonged chemical exposure."
He lifted a stack of documents for the jury to see.
"These are three independent evaluation reports issued by Gotham General Hospital, Central City Mental Health Center, and Arkham Asylum. Their conclusions are consistent. At the time of the incident, Dr. Crane lacked the capacity to understand the illegality of his actions."
"The law should not punish the sick, but treat them. Therefore, we request that Dr. Crane be sent to a professional institution for treatment rather than prison."
The defense attorney clearly believed no further argument was necessary.
In his view, insisting that Jonathan Crane suffered from severe mental illness was enough to secure victory. He offered no additional evidence and sat down at once.
Jonathan Crane seemed equally confident, flashing Lance a provocative smile.
He still remembered the night of his arrest, when this man had ruined his plans and pinned him to the ground without mercy.
Crane silently mouthed the words: "You… are… finished…"
His lawyer had already assured him of the outcome. He would be sent to Arkham Asylum, and from there, arrangements would be made for his escape.
And once he was out, the first thing he would do was settle the score with Lance himself.
Lance only laughed.
It's show time.
He rose to his feet and began his opening statement.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I will begin with a simple fact. Jonathan Crane is guilty."
The defense attorney sneered and shook his head.
Lance ignored him and continued.
"Perhaps you are not aware that the super-criminal before us had a tragic childhood."
Jonathan Crane's smile stiffened.
"He was born in Georgia, the illegitimate son of a declining family. His mother abandoned him shortly after his birth. Perhaps she had a rare gift for foresight and saw that this child would one day become a monster who would kill countless innocents."
"And his father, Gerald Crane, was also a mad scientist. He used his own son as a living test subject for fear-based experiments. Methods included locking the child in a glass box filled with spiders, playing recordings of dying screams while he slept, and regularly injecting him with chemical agents designed to induce panic."
In the jury box, a woman covered her mouth.
"That is not all." Lance turned toward Crane, whose face was growing pale.
"After his father's accidental death, he was taken in by his great-grandmother. This devout old woman saw him as the embodiment of sin. She locked him in the attic of an abandoned church, feeding him only bread and water, and even opened the windows so that crows could fly in and peck at him…"
"Objection!" The defense attorney shot to his feet. "This is irrelevant to the case. This is an attempt to provoke emotion."
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Thoughts/Notes for the curious:
In a normal trial, the defense lawyer would wait until the very end to reveal Crane's trauma. They would use it as a "bombshell" to make the jury cry and think, "He's not evil, he's just a victim of his father!" If Lance let that happen, he would look like he was hiding the truth or being heartless.
By telling the jury the worst parts of Crane's life first, Lance builds immediate trust. He is basically saying, "I'm not here to hide anything from you. I'll tell you the full truth, even the parts that help the other side." This makes the jury view him as the most honest person in the room.
This is a psychological tactic called Inoculation. By being the one to deliver the "sad story," Lance controls how it is told. He frames the trauma not as an excuse for mercy, but as the origin story of a "monster."
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