Please be seated. Hello, Your Honor. Hello. This is the case
of <i> Woody v. Wilson.</i> Thank you, Jerome. Good day,
everyone. AUDIENCE: Good day. Mr. Woody, you are here today,
desperate to learn if you are the biological
father of the defendant's son. You were initially
convinced he's yours, and you even gave him
your name. Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAUREN LAKE:
Michael Woody, Jr. WOODY:
Yes, Your Honor. Now, Miss Wilson, you confess
you slept with another man at the time
of conception, though you honestly can't be
sure who fathered your child, hoping today's results
will give you that answer. Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE:
So, Mr. Woody... WOODY: Yes. You were at
a crossroads. You'd fallen in love
with the baby. Yes. Even though you
really don't know if he's your
biological child. WOODY: Yes, Your Honor. Please,
explain to the court. Well, I have a three-year-old
daughter already, so when I found out I was having
a son, I was excited because what man doesn't wanna
have a Junior, you know. So, I got plans made,
you know, I'm ready to go play baseball and basketball with him
and, you know, all the stuff a father's supposed to do
with their son, so... <i> I'm just ready,
so I'm ready to, to be
a father to a boy now.</i> JUDGE LAKE: <i> So you were
already having the visions</i> of everything you're gonna do,
baseball, basketball,
first haircut. WOODY: Everything. You got it in your mind,
you love this baby... No haircut. No hair... Oh, no haircut? No haircut. Oh, let me see how long
yours is, all right, yeah. That would be
a no haircut. Um, so you love
the baby? WOODY: <i> Yes, yes.</i> <i> I thought that was it,
you know?</i> But come to find out,
you know,
I have my doubts about... If he's mine or not. Because you and Miss Wilson
are not in a relationship. You know that there is
a strong possibility... WOODY: Yes. ...that this child could be
someone else's. Yes. And you're worried that this
baby that you now love, won't be in your life. Exactly. (AUDIENCE MURMURING) Well, understand,
the stakes are high. It's easy to fall in love
with a child. And no person that has
fallen in love with a child wants to see that child leave
their life, understand that. (APPLAUSE) So, Miss Wilson... You, too,
have concerns? Yes. Talk to me a little bit
about the circumstances that got you all
here today. When I met Mr. Woody, I was
walking down the street with my friend. We were drunk and we were
going up to the store, and he was in the apartment
complex holding, you know, with his daughter
in a stroller. And he said,
"You're cute." And I was like,
"Oh, you're cute too." So, we walked
to the store, and we walked back to
my friend's house. We had intercourse. (AUDIENCE MURMURING) JUDGE LAKE: Okay. So, I have to
ask you this. Was he the only man
you were intimate with
during that time? No, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: Okay. So, respectfully, how many other men
were there? WILSON: Just one. Okay. So, Mr. Woody, that,
of course, substantiates
the doubt you feel. Yes. Because Miss Wilson
is honest. Yes. JUDGE LAKE: "I wasn't just
intimate with you." How did you find out
she was pregnant? She sent me a message on
Facebook, Your Honor. (AUDIENCE MURMURING) JUDGE LAKE: Okay. I guess she couldn't
find me, so she sent me a message on Facebook. WILSON: No, no, no. No, no, no, no. How it happen? It's not 'cause I
couldn't find him, it's 'cause he left. JUDGE LAKE: Oh, oh, let's... Pardon me,
I'm sorry. Let's get courtroom... I apologize. ...language. Tell me, though. When I actually found out
I was pregnant, I kept taking pregnancy
tests, Your Honor, and they all kept
coming back negative. So I went to my doctor,
and, um, I got a blood test, and a week after that,
she called me while I was cooking
dinner, and she's like, "Miss Wilson, I just
wanted to let you know "that your pregnancy
test came back positive." And so I was like... Just my whole
world just... Took a standstill. 'Cause I wasn't, I wasn't
ready to have a child at all. <i> I sent him a message</i> and I just said that I was
pregnant, basically. And did he
respond right away? WILSON: No. Mr. Woody? The girl that I was dating
was responding to the messages
that she was sending me. (AUDIENCE MURMURING) JUDGE LAKE: Jerome,
let me see that. What evidence is this
you're presenting? Um, I have a couple of
pieces of evidence. I got a picture of me and
my son and I have the picture, I have the messages
from Facebook. So this is a message
from Davina Wilson. "I'm pregnant. "So I hope you know we're
getting a DNA test <i> "when the baby's born</i> <i> "and I'm hitting you up with
this child support.</i> <i> "I'll see you in court."</i> (AUDIENCE MURMURING) WOODY: That's right. That's your first... Hello. "You're gonna be
a father?" Hello. (AUDIENCE LAUGHING) Way harsh,
Miss Wilson. What did you think? WOODY: I didn't know
anything of it until a few days later, until after my birthday when I tried to go home
to my girlfriend and she's like,
"Look at your Facebook. "You got somebody pregnant
right now." And I'm like, "Shut up,
no, I don't." And she's like,
"Yeah, you do." Now, do you believe it was his
girlfriend answering you back, or do you think
it was him? Honestly, I don't think
it was his girlfriend. Your Honor, if you could read
the text messages, if you could read
the messages, that is clearly a
grown woman speaking in that. That is not no man
speaking in them messages. JUDGE LAKE:
Too many words, right? Way too many. (JUDGE LAKE LAUGHING) So, Miss Wilson, when you
get a message back, what does
the message say? The first message I got back
was, I think it said, the B-word, "You're lying,"
or something like that. And I honestly thought
it was him, and so when I got
that message, Your Honor, I'm like, okay, so I basically went off, like,
"All I want is your money, "point blank, period. "So you wanna, you wanna
leave me in the cold,
you wanna, "you know, let me get pregnant
and do this by myself, "then you gonna pay me
some type of child support. "You gonna help me take care
of my... Your child." (AUDIENCE MURMURING) So, now, was that your last
communication with her or did she reach out
to you again? I actually, I came back to
Vacaville, and I ran into her, you know, because I knew
it was a possibility
that, you know, the baby was mine, but
I know I wasn't the only one, but I know I played a part in
making this baby, so... (APPLAUSE) I didn't want to
lose my respect. I wasn't gonna
leave her, you know, to raise no child
on her own. (APPLAUSE) JUDGE LAKE: So, Miss Wilson,
you say there's another guy. Did you also
send a message to him? No. AUDIENCE: Ooh. JUDGE LAKE: So you never
told the other guy
you were pregnant. WILSON: No. So why, you, why did you just
single out Mr. Woody if there was another guy? Because... While I was sleeping
with Mr. Woody, I had sex with my
boyfriend and everything. He was the last person
I initially had
intercourse with. So the last time I had
intercourse, it was with Mr. Woody. Okay, but you do know that it
doesn't matter who's first and who's last, it's about the
window of conception, right? (APPLAUSE) Were they both in
the window of conception? Yes, Your Honor. So, what happened
when the baby was born? Throughout the pregnancy,
were you, were you present? Did you go to any doctor's
appointments with her? I came back, you know, I went
to the 3D ultrasound pictures with her, and I was there,
and then he was born. I was there. JUDGE LAKE: You were
there when he was born. I was there, I cut
the umbilical cord <i> and everything,
you know, so...</i> And then tell me
about the birth. Was it a bonding
experience for you both? It was, it was very painful
because he died
at birth, so... We had to sit there and watch
my son just be lifeless. And it hurts, you know,
just to even watch that for anybody, whether you
know the child or not. And so for, what you're
saying is for a few moments... Five minutes,
about five minutes,
had to bring him back. And they
brought him back. Brought him back. Oh, that's amazing. (APPLAUSE) A miracle, a miracle, so I'm
sure, as you all were there, together, witnessing,
literally, a miracle happen. WILSON: Your Honor, I was
actually surprised he came. I was in the hospital
by myself, you know,
I was being induced and I'm just trying to figure
out, okay, who's gonna come, you know, help me
watch my son be born. Didn't nobody come. And then he came,
I think, <i> when I started
having my contractions.</i> When it's time to sign
the birth certificate, do you sign? WOODY: Yeah, yes. (APPLAUSE) Yes. JUDGE LAKE: With pride, yes. WOODY: My first son,
he's gonna be a junior. There's no other,
hey, no. He's a junior, he has
to have all of me. When does the doubt
set back in? WOODY: Okay, so... Her sister, you know,
I'm at, I'm at one of
my friend's wakes, you know, he had just
passed away so, you know, we at the wake
or whatever, and I see her sister. I'm good friends with
her son's father. So, you know, we start
talking, and, uh... She comes up to me, like,
"Mike, uh, you need to... "I think you should go get
a DNA test," you know? AUDIENCE: Whoa. WILSON: Your Honor,
that is a lie. That's, that's not
how it happened. She didn't just come up
to him and say, "Mike," I mean, "Mr. Woody, you need
to get a DNA test," no. So, the truth is, after this
amazing, miraculous birth, you knew in your mind
you still needed
to get a DNA test. WOODY: And even before that... Right, Your Honor. Before that, uh,
seeing her standing at the apartment complex
with two dudes, so, you know, they all
go their separate ways. So the dude come back,
one of the dudes come
back by himself. So I stop him, like,
"Hey, bro, is she pregnant?" And he like,
"Yeah, by my brother." AUDIENCE: Whoa. So, that's another reason why
I feel the way that I feel, because ain't no... I'm not gonna claim
no kids that ain't mine. So I don't think anybody
else should neither. WILSON: After that happened, that's when he went MIA. So after you heard from this
guy coming down the street, you just backed off. It's been
a roller coaster... Yes. ...meaning one day you think
you're the father, the next day you don't
know if he's the father. <i> Then you back in town,
thinking you the father.</i> Then the guy comes
down the street and says you're
not the father. Then you disappear, you think
you're not the father. Then you come back
to the hospital... WOODY: To be the father. Now you're the father,
to be the father, and you sign
the birth certificate. Now, you leave
the hospital and the doubt starts
setting in... Yes. ...again. Yes. Are people talking to you,
are they in your ear, or are you just looking
at the baby and feeling like, "This baby doesn't
look like me..." It's a combination. ...or is Miss Wilson
saying to you, "You know, we gotta get
the DNA test." What happened? She's always said that
to me out the gate. She's always said, "We need a
DNA test, we're gonna get it," she said that to me
out the gate, so that wasn't
anything new to me. But then, she also told me out
of her own mouth that her, some, her friends
and her family is saying that my son look like her
ex-boyfriend. AUDIENCE AND JUDGE LAKE: Oh. You know, but that's even more
of a reason, like... JUDGE LAKE: And you submitted
pictures to the court. Yes, Your Honor. That's you, on the left side
and Michael Jr. on the right. <i> Yes.</i> <i> And when you look at the baby,
you see yourself in him?</i> <i> I do see some
similarities, I do.</i> <i> I do.</i> (APPLAUSE) How about you, Miss Wilson,
do you see similarities? WILSON: <i> I don't really know
who he looks like,
to be honest with you.</i> He look like her,
if you ask me, he look... JUDGE LAKE: I definitely
see the resemblance to... He look like her. ...Miss Wilson. It's hard for me
to find myself in there. Do you think your son also has
a resemblance to your ex? Um... No. JUDGE LAKE:
You don't see much. No, no. Well... This is complicated. Matters of the heart,
Mr. Woody, it's a special thing. And a beautiful baby
like that... Yeah. It's easy to fall in love,
to be attached, and wanna be there for that
child in the right way, and you've done that. (APPLAUSE) And, you know... And, look,
what are your hopes? I hope that
he's mine. I do, I want him
to be mine, I want him. I want him. Who doesn't...
Who wouldn't want him?
Look at him. Who wouldn't want him?
I want him. <i> I take care of mine
as much as I can, you know,</i> <i> I don't have the,
all the money in the world,</i> <i> but I'm always there
for my daughter,</i> so he's gonna get the same
love that she has, period. (APPLAUSE) And what are your
hopes, Miss Wilson? I just want my son
to have a father. JUDGE LAKE: I know. (CRYING) It's important
to you, right? It really is. (CRYING) I mean, I can't teach
my son how to be a man. So... WOODY: I will. I will. (APPLAUSE) He loves him so much. He does,
he gets all... When he cries with me, I'll call Mr. Woody
and instantly, when he hears
his voice, he stops. AUDIENCE: Aw. That's my boy.
He's my boy. And do you call Mr. Woody,
his dad, your daddy? Yes. WOODY: You send me a picture
about every day, you know, <i> a new outfit and it's
like, he's mine.</i> And I just, I really, I need
to know, you know, the truth, if he's really mine, so I can
get all these other nobodies out of my mind and
I can raise my son correctly,
the right way. (APPLAUSE) Well, I think we've
come to the point where it's just time
to have the results. Jerome, the envelope,
please. These results were prepared
by DNA Diagnostics, and they read
as follows. In the case of<i>
Woody v. Wilson...</i> When it comes to two-month-old
Michael Woody, Jr... When it comes to two-month-old
Michael Woody, Jr... Mr. Woody... You are not his father. (AUDIENCE MURMURING) WILSON: He what? (CRYING) JUDGE LAKE: Jerome, will you
please have her sit down? (CRYING) Ma'am, come here. Ma'am, come up here
and sit down. (CRYING CONTINUES) Come on, baby. WILSON: No! Come on,
let's sit down. I'm ready to go. JUDGE LAKE: You okay? I'm ready to go. I know, I know, I know. I'm ready to go. I know, I know, I know. I know, you had to know,
you want to sit down? We're gonna have some
resources for you. We're gonna help you
just talk through this. I know this is not what
you wanted to hear. But I'm sorry. Oh, come on, man...
Are you serious? WILSON: How could he
not be the father? He looks
just like him! He looks just like him! JUDGE LAKE: As we say in
the courtroom all the time, it takes DNA to
be a father, but it takes love to be
a daddy, and you've been that. You've been that. You can continue to be that,
if that's what you want. That's my son, man. Yes, it is.
Yes, it is. WOODY: What am I
supposed to do? JUDGE LAKE:
It's gonna be okay. That's my son, man. JUDGE LAKE:
It's gonna be okay. JEROME: Don't stop doing
what you're doing for him. JUDGE LAKE:
It's gonna be okay. We're gonna help you work
through it, okay? WOODY: Yeah. He deserves a man in his
life like you, okay? That's what
he deserves, okay? (APPLAUSE) You're doing the right thing,
you really are, keep doing it. You're a good man. Thank you,
thank you. (WILSON SOBBING) You said today when you
testified in court, that you knew you
needed the DNA test. And you knew you needed it because you knew there
was a possibility... How could he not be... I know it's not the answer
you wanted, I know. (WILSON SOBBING) But now we have to figure out
how to move forward. We have aftercare
available. We have Dr. Carole here. We just want, we want you to
sit down and talk to her, and we're gonna figure out
how to move forward, 'cause you can do it,
you will do it for your baby.
