Bring Justice to Light: Fund the Trial Transcript

In a court of law, my mother and stepfather's attorneys argued I was creative enough and smart enough to invent a twisted narrative about my upbringing just so I could write a book. I invented nothing, but it's finally time to produce the book they knew was coming.

I have written nearly 67,000 words of it (about 160 pages), but I need a lot of financial help to complete it.

It is so rare that there are times in life when every word of a significant event is recorded exactly. And yet, in a Tennessee February, a stenographer's fingers saved each and every beat of the testimonies and arguments that took place in our Murfreesboro courthouse.

I want to access the transcript of this trial and utilize all that was said, word-for-word, when I write the chapters about what they claimed and how their arguments were phrased. I want to help explain why a jury could have become confused by what was presented to them, and illuminate the legal processes of pursuing justice as a victim of childhood abuse.

I've contacted the proper authorities, and because of the length of the trial, the transcript is expensive. The estimate I was given was that it will run me $7,500 to obtain.

It is important to me that this monetary hurdle is not enough to prevent the truth from coming to light.

This book is a coming-of-age story, but the age is twenty-two.

A brief overview of my story:

I was raised in an extremist family religion that branched off from Mormonism, led by my controlling stepfather as our prophet and my unwell mother as its reinforcer. My siblings and I experienced personalized abuses, but I was specifically singled out for sexual abuse. It would take me years to admit that, and even longer to detach myself from the ensuing cycles.

I believe that writing my story is my life's purpose. I believe I can help others, especially other children, who are in terrible situations - even if the circumstances are not the same - because learning about Elizabeth Smart was what eventually led me to escape.

I've learned a lot. I've reflected on much. And I've spent years as a writer and journalist, so I've been practicing the art of telling other peoples' stories.

There was a short article written about me and the outcome of the trial back in 2017. But I believe it is time to tell a true crime story from the inside perspective. Straight from the source.