Chapter 14 - Lila Was Not Interviewed Ten Times
This mattered to me.
Everybody wanted to ask the child questions.
Patrol.
Detectives.
Prosecutors.
Family.
Doctors.
We resisted.
A trained forensic interviewer conducted the detailed child interview once.
Developmentally appropriate.
Non-leading.
Recorded.
Lila said:
Daddy talked from the floor.
Uncle Adrian said Daddy went away.
Uncle Adrian told her not to lie on the floor because:
“bugs live down there.”
She saw Adrian carry water bottles toward the hall closet.
Once she saw him come out holding an empty plate.
She asked:
“Daddy food?”
Adrian answered:
“Mouse trap.”
Children do not interpret adult lies the way adults expect.
They store details.
May you like
Not because they understand significance.
Because the detail was strange.
