M. Gessen

It was David who used the word permanent.

Alan had said definite.

And he said, quote, for me the word definite means something that is certain to happen, that is more likely to happen.

Now David's response to it is permanent, which is very different from definite.

Permanent is something that's irreversible, unquote.

As for his concerns about not exposing children to violence, he meant just the grab and drag Priscilla out of the room kind of violence, not the killing kind.

Alan claimed that he didn't write some of the signal messages that had been entered into evidence.

But yes, he did write the I am absolutely ambivalent one.

He explained that the tone of my response is kind of, I'm on holiday with kids, why are you bothering me?

And he explained what the exchange supposedly meant.

There may be other illegal immigrants present when the raid happens, and they will be exited, meaning removed from the country.

Like maybe they'd grab Priscilla's sister, who was also in the U.S., or the Zimbabwean family she was staying with.

So yes, he didn't want Priscilla killed, only stuffed in the trunk of a car, possibly with other people who happened to be around, and driven out of the country.

And once Priscilla was eventually back in Zimbabwe, they would, quote, co-parent internationally.

Ilhan Hosseini, the prosecutor, seemed really angry now.

Outraged that Alan, a lawyer, would do everything he appeared to have done.

Kidnap O, kidnap O again, and then arrange to have Priscilla killed while claiming that he wanted her only, well, kidnapped.

I was right there with her.

I couldn't believe Alan's chutzpah in taking the stand, in expecting anyone to take his defense seriously.

I mean, I literally couldn't believe most of what he said.