I looked at the judge. “Your honor, my daughter was being sexually assaulted for six months and I didn’t see it. I’m a judge. I’m supposed to recognize victims. But I was too busy. Too focused on my career. Robert Mitchell, a dying biker with nothing to gain and everything to lose, saw what I missed.”
Tina testified too. “Robert didn’t kidnap me. He rescued me. He gave me the courage to tell the truth. He made sure adults would finally listen. He’s a hero.”
The prosecutor dropped all charges.
Robert died seven weeks later. At his funeral, over three hundred bikers showed up. But so did fourteen children. Children he’d saved. Children who were alive because a dying biker decided their lives mattered more than his freedom.
Tina spoke at his funeral. “Robert Mitchell kidnapped me from school. He demanded ransom. He committed crimes. But he did it all to save me and other kids from a monster. He knew nobody would listen to kids. So he made them listen. He forced the world to pay attention.”
She looked at the crowd of bikers. “You all look scary. People cross the street when they see you coming. But Robert taught me that the scariest-looking people are often the biggest heroes. He taught me that real courage is doing what’s right even when it costs you everything.”
David Chen was there too. He’d been out of prison for seven weeks. He walked up to Robert’s casket and placed a photo of Ashley on top.
“You cleared my baby girl’s name,” he whispered. “You proved she died a hero. Thank you, brother.”Continue reading…
