He Killed the Judge

Judge Bellings was 90 on August 30th and his little party was organized by his old friend and accountant Matt Nilty. Matt was also his power of attorney and paid the bills and generally looked after the pillar of the community. Marion Bellings, the Judge's wife for 56 years had died before the Judge's stroke two years ago, so she didn't have to see the devastation of the Judge's complete paralysis. The Judge laid in his hospital bed in his home and was only able to communicate by blinking his eyes.

Charles and Rudy Mengerson were the Judge's only living relatives, they were the sons of his daughter, Margaret Mengerson who had committed suicide after a life of alcohol and drug addiction.

Charles was known as Chuck and he had been in and out of jail most of his adult life, mostly for petty theft, fraud, and other misdeeds of deception and deceit. Rudy, the younger grandson, was opposite. He was considered to be "slow" and "dimmed witted" by his older brother.

The boys took turns taking care of their grandfather during the nights. Matt had the days covered by hiring two licensed vocational nurses to watch after the Judge. These nurses worked 7 days a week , 8 hours a day, so 16 hours of each day the Judge had good care. The "graveyard shift" as Chuck called it was from 12:00 midnight until 8:00 AM and the boys were expected to be there just in case the Judge needed something.

Chuck needed money. He told Matt he needed to be paid, like the nurses, for watching his grandfather. Matt had asked the Judge about this and he agreed that Chuck get $500 a week. Rudy who worked as a sanitation engineer (garbage man) refused his $500 a week, and told Matt that he, Rudy, felt like he owed his grandpa rent for letting him sleep in his home.

Matt could detect a weak smile from the Judge when Rudy came in the room and didn't see any smile when loud, vulgar Chuck entered.

Chuck relished slapping Rudy on the back of his head and calling him names especially in front of the Judge whose only reaction was the shedding of tears from his motionless face.

The Judge was getting more feeble and Chuck sensed that the "old Man" was going, "He's dead, look at him, he only blinks at us." Rudy, on the other hand, had long slow beautiful conversations with grandfather and would tell Chuck to be quiet only to be slapped around by his 270 pound brother.

Six days after the Judge's 90th birthday, Elton Gaddis, the Judge's lawyer, was seen leaving the house when Chuck arrived 6 hours early for his shift. "Hey, what are you doing here?" was Chuck's only remark to Elton. Elton said nothing and got in his car and left. Chuck was especially vicious to his grandfather that night banging on his grandmother's piano, keeping the television on and denying the old man any rest. "So, you're writing me out of your will, you old piece of rotting flesh, we'll see about that." That was overheard by Rudy who slept, or tried to sleep that night in the back bedroom.

Elton Gaddis brought two witnesses with him when the new will was executed. Chuck, Rudy and Matt were also there. Chuck was screaming that the "old man" was not competent and called the police alleging that his grandfather was being assaulted. Before the police arrived, Elton read the will out loud indicating that Chuck was to be the Judge's only devisee cutting off Rudy, unless Chuck predeceased him.

Chuck then admitted that his grandfather was clear thinking and was only physically disabled and that he had a right to change his will if that was what he wanted. The will was executed, Matt signed for the Judge as the law permitted, and Chuck went to jail for making a fictitious 911 call, he was out before dawn the next day.

Rudy sat with his grandfather that night and told him he loved him, and that his being cutout of the will was OK, that he trusted his grandfather knew what he wanted and that was what had to be.

Six AM: Chuck almost broke down the door screaming that he had to post a $500 bond for the stupid charges the police put on him. He told Rudy in front of his grandfather, "Boy things are going to change around here now."

Chuck told Rudy that he would take the 4 night a week shift "grandfather sitting" since Rudy had done this for over two years. Rudy protested but 270 pounds trumps 135 pounds. That is when the Judge's hell began in earnest.

Chuck's shift became a routine of torture for the Judge. No water, loud noise, Chuck's incessant chanting of what a worthless person the Judge was and that his daughter, Chuck's mother, had committed suicide because of the Judge. Many tears spilled down the Judge's cheeks. He was so feeble now he couldn't communicate, even by blinking. But, he wouldn't die and that infuriated Chuck.

Chuck insisted that Rudy go on a vacation, he hadn't had one in two years. Everything would be OK, he'd take Rudy's shift for two weeks. So, Rudy went camping in Arizona.

For four nights straight Chuck tormented his grandfather, screaming, cursing, placing a headset on the Judge and playing a CD full blast into the Judge's sensitive ears. He still didn't die.

Day five of Rudy's vacation: Chuck was miserable from his own loss of sleep so he decided to have a few drinks. He left his grandfather by himself, went to a local bar and got drunk. It was there that he conceived the plot to kill his grandfather and fabricate a story about a burglar murdering the old man. He got back home at 7:30 AM and went into his grandfather's room, cursed him and began choking him. He then pulled him out of his bed by his feet, his head hit the floor with a sickening thud. THERE, the old man wasn't breathing!! He was dead, at last he was dead!! Chuck had done his dastardly deed in less that a minute and his joy was apparent as he began singing and dancing with his grandfather laying at his feet. Unfortunately for Chuck, Alicia, the Tuesday vocational nurse, was there and saw everything, so the burglar story was shot down immediately.

The jury sentenced Chuck to 99 years in prison and the law disqualified him from any benefit of his grandfather's will since Chuck was deemed to be his grandfather's murderer. It was as though Chuck predeceased his grandfather, so Rudy inherited the six million dollars. Rudy married Alicia, who by the way, never told anyone, that the Judge had peacefully stopped breathing at 7:15 AM that morning a full 15 minutes before drunken Chuck came home and attacked his grandfather's corpse.
Comeuppance