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By Root 261 0

went for our first interview with the Charlottesville police. We ordered room service, went to the gym, tapped away on our BlackBerrys. I was calmer than I had been in weeks. We walked over to the court the next day with Worrell, who took us around the back. Crunching through the fall leaves reminded me of being a student here. This was my first time in circuit court, and it was a much bigger, grander courthouse than the juvenile court, where I had given my testimony. Presiding over the proceedings was Judge Edward Hogshire, a kindly older man. Hogshire took a look at the plea agreement, conferred with both prosecution and defense, and began.

NOVEMBER 14, 2006

THE COURT: All right, so we need to have Mr. Beebe stand for arraignment.

Beebe stood up, dressed in a dark suit and white shirt, and I was struck again by how very tall and large he was. He scared the shit out of me, even in a public place.

CLERK: Are you William Nottingham Beebe?

WILLIAM BEEBE: I am.

CLERK: The grand jurors for the Circuit Court for the City of Charlottesville in their April, 2006 term returned an indictment charging on or about October 6, 1984, in the City of Charlottesville, that you did, feloniously and unlawfully, sexually abuse Elizabeth Seccuro nee Schimpf, through her physical helplessness, in violation of Virginia Code Section 18.2-67.3. How do you plead?

BEEBE: Guilty as charged.

You could feel the eyes of everyone in that courtroom turn to me to see my reaction. I could hear a shift of people in their benches, a rustling of papers. I began crying, burying my head on Mike’s tweed-clad shoulder.

Hogshire went on to ask Beebe some basic questions about his date of birth, level of education, his understanding of the charges against him. He was asked if he was taking this plea willingly and had been represented fairly by his attorneys. He was asked if he was pleading guilty of his own free will and if he was, indeed, guilty of the charges. He was informed that by pleading guilty, he would waive the right to appeal the court’s decision. He was also informed that the crime he was pleading guilty to carried a maximum sentence of twenty years, regardless of the plea deal. It was standard stuff, but each answer seemed to bring us one step closer to a true end, after all this time.

THE COURT: All right, and, of course, it calls for you to plead guilty to the aggravated sexual battery indictment, and there is an agreed-upon sentence here, which is to be executed after the preparation of a pre-sentence report and that you and your attorneys have agreed on a maximum sentence of two years of active incarceration. Is that your understanding of the agreement?

BEEBE: It is.

THE COURT: The agreement also requires you to cooperate with the Commonwealth in this ongoing investigation as it relates to the other events which may have occurred on the date in question in this case. Do you understand that—October 6, 1984?

BEEBE: Yes, sir, I do.

THE COURT: It says, as long as you cooperate with that investigation in good faith and that the information provided to the Commonwealth is useful, the Commonwealth agrees to recommend a further reduction in your sentence, which will be at the discretion of the Commonwealth. Do you understand that?

BEEBE: Yes, sir.

THE COURT: All right, so I’m going to find that the plea was entered into freely and voluntarily and you have a seat with counsel. Mr. Worrell, if you will please summarize the Commonwealth’s evidence in the case and the basis for the agreement.

At that point, Worrell briefly summarized the events of the night in question. It was hard to listen to, but I remained calm, focusing on the soothing qualities of Worrell’s voice. But although I kept my focus on Worrell, I became aware that William Beebe was staring straight at me, intentionally and unabashedly. And I was not the only one who noticed—members of the media would later report on this, too, this unblinking stare. It was the most unsettling sensation I have ever experienced.

Worrell went on:

WORRELL: There is—and at the time of the preliminary