When Sylvia Gray signed up to be Dallas CASA volunteer, she knew she could be called to testify in court for an abused child if the need arose.
But in nine years as an advocate, she was never called… until last spring.
A case she’d been working for two years came to trial, and the district attorney called Sylvia to offer testimony.
Was she nervous?
I knew my facts, and that gave me all the confidence I needed. I’d been on the case from the very beginning so I felt very confident.
What happened in advance?
The district attorney brought me in prior to the trial and prepared me for what would happen. That was really helpful. The trial was a bench trial before the judge.
Describe the day.
The trial was scheduled for one day. Once I was sworn in, I couldn’t talk to anyone about the case or hear anyone else’s testimony. I couldn’t even talk to my Dallas CASA supervisor. I spent that whole day in the hallway. I’d recommend anyone else going through this to bring some reading material for sure!
Due to lengthy testimony, the trial ended up being continued to a second day later in February. Since I was sworn in, that meant almost two weeks when I could not talk to anyone about the case.
What was it like on the stand?
I told myself to take deep breaths and take my time answering questions. In the end, I answered questions for about 25 minutes. I answered truthfully and honestly.
With Sylvia’s testimony, the case reached an end that CPS, the district attorney and CASA were happy with. The child in the case has a forever family now.
Are you ready to stand up for a child? How would you feel being called to testify? Could you testify in court for an abused child?
