Spare Me and My Child
"You are back again?" asked the judge looking at a frail middle-aged woman with a little child by her side. "I didn't mean to do anything. Please, Sir, I don't want my daughter to go to jail!" pleaded the woman named Massey. But what got her to this?
Massey English, a mother of two had a very rough year. And now the courtroom saga was only making her life all the more haywire. However, when she entered the courtroom with her cute little daughter, no one had imagined that the story will take such a dark turn!
The courtroom
The atmosphere in a courtroom is very different and sort of unique. The vibe is pretty serious because life-changing decisions and verdicts are given inside a courtroom.
There was nothing different that day too in the courtroom of ‘Caught in Providence’ show. A bunch of people were sitting quietly and so was the judge Frank Caprio, waiting for the next case to appear. None of the people present inside the courtroom had any clue that the overall vibe was soon going to take a freaking U-turn!
Massey English and her daughter enter the courtroom
The case to be heard that day inside the courtroom was of Massey English. The blonde, young woman entered the courtroom with her daughter Kaya.
While everything seemed pretty normal at first, Kaya particularly stood out in the room. What was this little girl doing in the courtroom with her mother?
Judge Caprio jokes about Kaya
Everyone present inside the courtroom at that moment was bowled over by how cute Kaya looked in her pink attire and pink-coloured glasses.
Judge Caprio took the chance to lighten the vibe of the room so as to make the little kid comfortable. He jokingly asked English “Is this cute little girl your lawyer?” Everyone present there let out a little laugh. But there was more to come. More emotion, more drama and more cuteness!
Kaya waves at the camera
The serious vibe of the courtroom took a strong blow from the adorable Kaya who seemed to have casted a spell on everyone present there with her cuteness.
The Judge too, was in awe of her adorable presence in the rather serious courtroom. He then asked Kaya to wave at the camera. Unsurprisingly, the cute little angel obeyed and waved at the camera. We are sure that the viewers who saw her waving and smiling at the camera, also became a fan of her. But there was more to come. Much more to come!
Judge remembers English
It wasn’t the first instance when Massey English came to the same courtroom in front of Judge Caprio because the judge remembered her.
“I remember you, miss English. You have come here before as well. Are you one of those repeat offenders?” The Judge asked English. He sounded a bit serious but what could have been the previous instance that forced English to come to the court?
Massey English jokes about Kaya
When the Judge reminded Massey English that it was the second instance when she was appearing in front of the court, she, at first, couldn’t understand the intention behind the judge saying so.
In her defence, she said to the judge “But your honour, I cannot take Kaya with me to the jail!” The Judge acknowledged the humour and passed on a smile. Jumping back to the case on hand, the Judge quickly asked “Why are you here now? What did you do?”
The offence
The courtroom had pin-drop silence at the moment. What could she have done? Was Kaya involved in any way? Massey English soon broke the silence.
“I went to downtown to get Kaya’s birth certificate and I accidentally parked in the No Parking zone just for a few minutes. I got back to find out that I had a parking ticket. We have had a tough year and now this!” Even though English looked normal from the outside, everyone could tell that she was on the verge of breaking down. What was she holding inside of her?
Her innocence
“It appears to me that you want to prove something, miss English” The Judge asked her in a rather stern voice.
“I do want to prove something and that is my innocence,” Massey replied with confidence. There was something unique about her. She looked fragile and strong at the same time. And it was pretty evident at this point in time that she had a lot going inside her head.
She explains the instance again
“Kaya doesn’t have a father anymore so I have to run errands, keep a check on things, earn and take care of my children. All at the same time. In all this jiffy, I absolutely forgot that I had parked in a no-parking zone.” Massey explained her psyche at the moment.
Though everyone present there remained silent, they could understand what Massey was going through and that was even before she told her complete life story. The audience was in for an emotional rollercoaster ride.
A tough year
“I have had a pretty rough year. A LOT has happened in the past year that has shaken our whole family to the core.” Massey kept on explaining her plight.
Everyone could sense that Massey was inching closer to having a mental breakdown but being the strong woman that she was, she still carried a smile on her face. What could have happened in the past year?
Judge explains the previous instance
“The last time that you were here, you were accompanied by your son. As far as I remember. Am I correct?” The Judge asked Massey.
“Absolutely.” Massey gave an affirmation. “You were here because he had broken his arm.” The Judge was refreshing his memory. It took everyone by surprise that Judge Caprio cared so much about that he actually remembered Massey!
Her son’s condition
“My son damaged his brachial artery and because of the big injury, he had to spend 5 days in the ICU. The surgeons had to perform a graft on my son. So yeah, it has been rough.” Massey explained the whole instance.
By then, everyone was already sympathizing with the gut-wrenching story of Massey and her family but that wasn’t all. A big blow was about to be revealed that turned Massey and her children’s life around!
Father’s death
“Right after my son’s injury and surgery, their father passed away. My husband had been battling cancer for a few years but he lost the battle last year.” Massey dropped a nuke inside the courtroom.
By then, the vibe inside the courtroom completely transformed and the atmosphere became rather grim and sad. Judge Caprio knew exactly what he had to do to cheer everyone up and to do so, he required assistance from a particular someone.
Massey breaks down
“It has been very hard for me and my children. Be it as a family or as an individual, last year broke us all down and it wouldn’t be wrong if I said that it was an utter disaster.” Massey started sobbing a little after she said that.
Judge Caprio was quietly listening to what Massey had to say and when she was done, he was about to do something that would send a wave of positivity across the room.
Judge Caprio calls Kaya
When the courtroom became absolutely silent after Massey dropped down, Judge Caprio waved at Kaya and called her up on his bench.
How often do you see a judge calling someone on his high bench? Not very, right? This is the exact reason why everyone was actually dumbstruck at Caprio’s reaction.
Kaya goes up on the bench
Massey told Kaya to do exactly what the Judge was saying and being the angel that she was, Kaya, followed her mom’s command.
“She has a great personality! I have a feeling that she is going to do great in her life!” The Judge exclaimed when Kaya accompanied him on his bench. Everyone couldn’t help but smile at the Judge’s heartwarming reaction but they had no idea that there was more to come.
Judge Caprio talks to Kaya
When she arrived at the bench, hopping with her little feet, Judge Caprio picked her up and made her sit on his lap.
“Say hi to your mommy.” Judge Caprio insisted on Kaya and when he put the mic in front of her, she did exactly the same and it sent out a huge wave of positivity across the room. Massey’s tears transformed into a wide smile as she saw her daughter sitting up there, winning hearts!
Mommy not guilty
While the crowd present there was still recovering from Kaya’s super cute ‘Hi Mommy’, another wave of cuteness was about to hit them!
Judge Caprio put the mic in front of her and asked her to repeat ‘Mommy not guilty’ and that’s exactly what Kaya did. Massey started laughing right after this as she couldn’t process what was happening in front of her.
Judge Caprio couldn’t compete with that
As Massey laughed with the crowd, Judge Caprio kept playing with Kaya as she giggled all through the conversation. What was turning out to be a rather grim affair, turned into a jolly one. All thanks to the connection between the Judge and little Kaya.
“Now that she has given her verdict that her mom is not guilty, I cannot even think of competing with that!” Judge Caprio joked again about Kaya passing on the verdict.
The Gavel
A judge’s gavel has a special significance in a courtroom. When it bangs on the table, lives get turned around. Judge Caprio asked his assistant to pass on the Gavel.
The assistant, being quick on his feet, gave Caprio the gavel. The audience was eagerly waiting for the final verdict to be passed with the bang of the gavel.
Cheery atmosphere
As the court was moving towards stamping the final verdict with the bang of the gavel, the atmosphere inside the courtroom took a U-turn.
When Massey started reciting her life’s story, everyone couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. But as soon as Judge Caprio called Kaya on the bench, everyone had a smile on their face.
Kaya bangs the gavel
When his assistant handed over the gavel to the Judge, surprisingly, he placed the gavel in Kaya’s hands. How often do you see a judge handing over the gavel to someone else?
Kaya took the gavel in her tiny hands. “Now you need to bang it over here like this!” Judge taught her how to bang the gavel and Kaya followed his footsteps clearly. The crowd applauded and laughed at the same time.
Kaya goes back to her mother
After Kaya banged the gavel, the Judge made her say ‘Mommy, not guilty’ yet again as the final verdict. Massey stood up from her chair and thanked the Judge.
“Now what I need you to do is, little Kaya, is go over to your mommy and hug her!” Judge instructed the little angel. Kaya stood up from his bench and ran towards her mother, taking tiny little steps on the way. It was now time for the Judge to add something more to the verdict. What would he say?
Judge talks about her children
“You have had a very rough year, Miss English and I can very well understand why. Your children are lovely and I hope you take good care of them.” Judge started giving his statement in a rather authoritative tone.
“I can understand why you want to evade the parking ticket and why you want to prove your innocence.” Judge Caprio took a brief halt after saying this. As if he wanted to add something to his statement.
Judge talks about their dad
“I’m sorry that your husband and their father passed away last year. It is unimaginable what you and your family has gone through in the past year. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, Miss English.”
“He must have been a good man that he fathered such a lovely daughter.” Judge Caprio kept winning hearts with his statement but another twist was waiting patiently at the next turn.
The picture with their dad
Judge Caprio kept sending out wishes and thoughts Massey’s way and when he was finally done giving his statement, he asked for something very particular.
“Do you have a picture of your children with their dad?” Judge Caprio asked Massey in a curious way.
Massey shows him the picture
Massey picked out her mobile phone and started scrolling through the gallery. She finally stumbled upon a picture of Kaya with her dad.
She looked at it first as if she remembered that exact moment and then finally handed over her phone to the judge. Judge Caprio too, stared at the picture for quite some time. What was inside the picture that grabbed Judge’s attention so much?
Massey explains the photograph
When Judge was curiously staring at the picture, Massey thought the need of explaining the picture to him. “This picture was clicked when he was in the ICU in his final days. He wanted to say goodbye to Kaya before leaving this world” Massey explained to the Judge.
The photograph shook the Judge from the inside as he gathered the courage to say something about it.
Judge shows the picture to the audience
“The connection between Kaya and her father can be clearly witnessed from this photograph. I am very sorry again, for what happened to your family. It most certainly is a major blow!” The Judge said.
He then pointed the phone towards the camera for the audience to see. We can imagine their reaction that how lovingly Kaya and her father were looking at each other. And the fact that he passed away hours later this picture was clicked!
Case dismissed
After showing the picture to the audience, Judge Caprio gave back Massey’s phone to her. It was now time to conclude things.
“The case is now dismissed and the court finds Massey English not guilty.” The Judge passed on his final verdict and banged the gavel.
Best wishes
Concluding the case as dismissed, the Judge still had a few more things to say to Massey and her daughter. “I know things are going to be still hard for you and your family without a father but our best wishes are with you, Miss English.”
“I hope your children do good in their respective lives. You are a strong woman and your daughter has a great personality. I wish you the best of luck for your future.” The Judge said this and stood up from his chair.
Audience’s reaction
When the story finally broke out in front of the general public. In an expected manner, Judge Caprio’s accolades were sung from across the world.
People were all praises for him that he was keeping the beacon of humanity alive and that we need more people like him in the judiciary system.
More praises for him
The Judge not only showcased humanity in its true light in this particular case but he was also attentive and kind enough to remember Massey English’s previous case.
“He listens, he remembers and most of all, he cares!” One user wrote on the internet.
Judge Caprio’s background
As per the show’s website, Judge Caprio is the Chief Municipal Judge in Providence, Rhode Island. The website also claims that “All of the cases and people are real.” Judge Caprio continues to be a beacon of light and has changed thousands of lives.
We should all learn a lot from Judge Caprio that despite being in such a serious line of work, he always manages to keep people happy around him. He considers his job to spread positivity and happiness around. This cruel world definitely could use some of Judge Caprio’s humbleness and not to forget, Kaya’s cuteness as well!