ALL RISE
CHAPTER ELEVEN
ALL RISE.
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G:\NJDeptCorr_\Juvenile_Justice_Commission\AppealsCourt\Docket_30194 \Proceedings\2026\July\Automated\Transcripts\Case29A_590B1\File6784_nh764f3
Department of Juvenile Justice – New Jersey State
Correctional Appeals Circuit – Docket 30194
STATE VS. THOMAS RANDALL SHEPHERD
(Charges filed: Second-degree Murder, Armed Robbery, Breaking and Entering)
Hon. Judge Isaac Matthews presiding
Typist Selena Taggart July 25th, 2026
Prosecution: Deborah Williams (New Jersey District Attorney’s Office)
Defence: Jeffrey William Kaplan (Dyer, Stern & Assoc.)
THE COURT: I understand you’ve called for an emergency injunction, Mr Kaplan?
MR KAPLAN: Yes, Your Honour. My client was admitted to the Green Park Correctional infirmary two nights ago with serious injuries inflicted by another inmate, demonstrating the substantial risk he faces in his continued incarceration. I am moving for his immediate release into the guardianship of the State until such a time-
MS WILLIAMS: Your Honour, the defendant was removed from the altercation by correctional officers within minutes, it is hardly as serious as the defence is making out.
MR KAPLAN: Twenty minutes, actually, counsellor. During which, my client suffered a broken wrist, a dislocated occipital bone, multiple contusions to his face and arms, fractured ribs- should I keep going?
MS WILLIAMS: Your Honour, considering the defendant is in fact sitting in this courtroom, clearly able to cooperate in his own defence, I think Mr Kaplan is exaggerating the extent of these serious injuries.
THE COURT: I can see the infirmary’s notes here for myself, Ms Williams, thank you. Sounds like you received quite the beating, young man.
THE DEFENDANT: Yes, sir.
THE COURT: Some might expect you to still be in a hospital bed.
THE DEFENDANT: I guess I’m a fast healer. Your Honour.
MR KAPLAN: Your Honour, my client is in clear and present danger-
MS WILLIAMS: Your client is accused of shooting a man in cold blood. I’d say he’s plenty dangerous himself.
MR KAPLAN: He’s the one who was jumped by half a dozen inmates in plain view of the cameras, Deborah.
MS WILLIAMS: I resent what you’re implying, Jeff.
MR KAPLAN: You mean the part where the guards deliberately looked the other way when a sixteen-year-old was getting the snot kicked out of him? Yeah, I can see how you would resent that.
THE COURT: Enough, you two. Ms Williams, have the assailants been apprehended?
MS WILLIAMS: Some, Your Honour. It appears the defendant has a history with one of the other inmates going back to the last time he was convicted of multiple assaults and the wilful and violent destruction of public property-
MR KAPLAN: He blew up a high school toilet, not the damn Chrysler Building, Deborah.
MS WILLIAMS: The main instigator, Felix Ramirez has been identified and withdrawn from general population, Your Honour.
THE COURT: Then it seems the clear and present danger has been neutralised, Mr Kaplan.
MR KAPLAN: Your Honour-
THE COURT: I’m not granting your injunction, Mr Kaplan. The crimes of which your client is accused amount to more than a high school prank. A man is dead. I’m not going to release him until I’m satisfied he does not present a danger to the community. That said, you better have a word with the warden, Ms Williams, to ensure this kind of oversight does not happen again. You’re on thin ice.
MS WILLIAMS: Yes, Your Honour. We would also like to notify the courts of an additional federal investigation that has just been brought to our attention involving Thomas Shepherd. Interview requests have been made and approved.
MR KAPLAN: What do the feds want with a teenager accused of a grocery store hold up?
MS WILLIAMS: You’d have to ask them, Jeff.
MR KAPLAN: Your Honour, I don’t know what games the DA’s office is trying to play here but I object to subjecting my client to further questioning on an investigation we know nothing about.
THE COURT: I’m not barring access to your client just because you don’t want to play nice with the Federal Department, Mr Kaplan. But I will stipulate that any and all questioning be conducted in Mr Kaplan’s presence. No one is playing fast and loose with his Right to Counsel, am I clear?
MS WILLIAMS: Yes, Your Honour.
MR KAPLAN: Thank you, Your Honour.
THE COURT: Good. Court is adjourned.
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C:\Users\WKaplan\Desktop\Witch101\Recordings\witch101_july_26.mp3
00:32:11 | 07:47:20
“O sapiens et patiens magister...Opto ut in gratiam mecum redires-”
“God, even when you’re brown-nosing, your pronunciation sucks.”
“You came back.”
“Well, you seemed to be heading for a record number of forgiveness prayers in my name so I thought I’d save you the trouble. Cut it out and get lost.”
“Agatha, come on. Look, I’m sorry that the projection potion got so out of hand.”
“I could care less about some pithy little dream spell, Teen.”
“Then where have you been? It’s been almost a week and you just disappeared.”
“I made my terms clear: listen up or move on. And you not only defied those rules, you went behind my back to involve yourself in a whole new world of idiocy by making a bargain with Death, of all people.”
“What do you mean, of all people? You’re married to her.”
“Yeah, so I know exactly how much she likes screwing over idiots who try to outwit her! And I could’ve told you that if you had bothered to run it past me first! So yeah, I’m done. I’m not wasting my breath on a kid too dumb to figure out when he’s been had.”
“Wait! Please, I- I didn’t know! I was just trying to find Tommy-”
“What do you think I’ve been teaching you, Billy? Crochet? I’m trying to get you ready for what you’re gonna find when you go looking for him.”
“What do you mean, what I’m going to find? You were teaching me about, I don’t know, how to grow six inches, how to draw a chalk circle! How was that gonna help me find him?!”
“Teen, you don’t need help finding Tommy. You found me, didn’t you? You needed training in how to live long enough to get to him. That power of yours is like a giant glowing arrow to every witch in your vicinity, not to mention the host of monsters, demons, ghouls and other shit that eats little boys who go out into the world unprepared. You think I’m the only witch who could drain you dry if she put her mind to it? So yeah, I was teaching you fundamentals to survive the search for your precious little twin. Now, I’m done.”
“I…I didn’t know.”
“Yeah, I got that. Whatever, kid. I’m out.”
“O sapiens et patiens magister-”
“Oh, not this again.”
“-opto ut in gratiam mecum redires-”
“Kid-”
“Please. Agatha, please. You’re right. I can’t do this on my own. I screwed up, I shouldn’t have made that deal with Rio, I should’ve listened, I should’ve…please just…don’t leave me alone again.”
“…Put the face away, Teen. Pouting isn’t your strong suit. Now sit there and tell me every single word you said to my ex-wife.”
“I thought you guys were still together.”
“Not for today, we’re not. You’re both real pains in my fantastic spectral ass, you know that? Now spill it. And don’t skip a single detail.”
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“Hello?”
“This is a collect call from an inmate at the New Jersey Green Park Correctional Facility. Do you accept the charges?”
“Yes! Yes, I do!”
“Please be aware this call is being monitored and recorded. Stay on the line…Hey Lis.”
“Hey. I wasn’t sure if you’d call again.”
“Honestly, there’s no one else I’d rather talk to in here than you.”
“I’m choosing to take that as a compliment.”
“Good. It was meant as one.”
“So how’s the clink? Did you figure out the thing with Felix?”
“Yeah…about that…”
“Oh, shit. He got you, huh?”
“Something like that.”
“I’m so sorry, I should’ve said something earlier. You and Felix hated each other the first time round. I’m kind’ve surprised they didn’t work harder to keep you guys separate, it’s like throwing blood to the sharks with you two.”
“I’m hoping I’m the shark, not the blood, in that scen- ah.”
“What was that? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Just a few bones that haven’t healed yet.”
“God, this sucks.”
“I’ll say. But at least my, er, little gift seems to be helping me heal pretty quick.”
“Really? That’s something at least. Is it still Doc Osgood in the infirmary? He was practically a fossil already when we were there but he’s not bad as far as prison staff go.”
“No, it was someone different. Young guy with serial killer-esque vibes.”
“Seems suitably creepy for Green Park.”
“He asked a whole heap of questions about nothing. Lawyer Jeff jumped in at one point to complain about the invasion of privacy or something, I don’t know, it was weird. They took my blood away for testing too.”
“Testing? Did you get shivved? Could you be exposed to something?”
“Not that I remember. Just fists and feet.”
“Huh. Wonder what they want it for.”
“I don’t know but Lawyer Jeff said they’re bringing in feds to talk to me soon. He’ll be in the room but he doesn’t know what they’re after.”
“Feds? That is weird.”
“The only thing I can think of is maybe they’re interested in my little gift?”
“We gotta call it something else or word’s gonna spread that you have a micropenis or something.”
“You might have a point there.”
“Still, why would they be interested in that? How would they even know about it?”
“I don’t know. I’ll keep you posted though.”
“Hey, I was thinking, maybe I can come visit next week? My aunt’s working all week so it’s not like she’d notice me gone.”
“As much as I’d love that, we talked about this. You gotta keep clear of this one, Lis.”
“It’s not fair.”
“Definitely doesn’t feel like it, does it? Listen, just look out for yourself and I’ll be out soon, I promise.”
“This is feeling extremely Cry Baby coded, you know.”
“I’m guessing whatever that is, I wouldn’t get the reference even if I was still, you know, me.”
“You are you, Tommy.”
“I don’t know. Sometimes, I feel like someone else entirely.”
“What do you mean?”
“Like the other day, when Felix was kicking the shit out of me, I swore I could feel someone else there.”
“Like…an out of body thing?”
“Kind of? It’s hard to describe. I just felt heavier, somehow. Not in a bad way, just…full? Complete maybe?”
“Jeez, prison’s already rotting your brain.”
“Maybe so. Looks like our time’s up. I’ll catch you next week.”
“Please Mr Jailer, won’t you let my man go free?”
“You’re gonna make me sit through this movie if I get out of here, aren’t you?”
“When you get out of there Tommy.”
“When I-”
“Connection expired. Call disconnected.”
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C:\Users\WKaplan\Desktop\Witch101\Recordings\witch101_july_26.mp3
00:32:11 | 07:47:20
“So the kid spilled the beans, huh?”
“I thought we were done with this, Rio.”
“No, you were done with it. My job literally never ends.”
“Don’t give me that. He told me what happened. You played him like fiddle on a hickory stump down in Georgia.”
“Not my fault he decided to roll the dice. He came to me, not the other way round.”
“He’s a kid, Rio.”
“You say that like I haven’t come for younger.”
“You know I know that. I’m saying you didn’t have to take him up on it.”
“I’m not one to pass up on a bargain, Agatha.”
“He doesn’t understand yet. He doesn’t know the rules.”
“That’s not my responsibility. He’s your protege.”
“Yeah, he is. Which means I’m getting him out of this mess, one way or another.”
“He said it not me. They’re a package deal, sweetheart. Buy one abomination, get one free.”
“I thought we were good! We had a whole thing going, where is this coming from?!”
“This isn’t about you, Agatha. This is business. It’s not personal.”
“It felt pretty personal when I was showing you my new corporealization tricks last night.”
“Hmm, care for a repeat?”
“Keep it in your pants and tell me why you’re still going after these kids. Is it me? Because I won’t cross over? Because I won’t...see him?”
“I’d be lying if I said it hadn’t crossed my mind. No pipsqueak, less reasons for you to hide from your responsibility to your own kid-”
“Oh, give me a break.”
“-but like I said. It’s not about you Agatha. This is my job. It’s always been my job.”
“Well, your job can kiss my ass. You’re not taking him.”
“Not yet. He’s still got, oh...thirty five days until the end of August.”
“Rio, baby, come on...”
“Save it. You told me exactly who you are now, Agatha, remember? Calculating, opportunistic, duplicitous and mine, even when you’re not mine. So let me be honest too: I’m the natural order of all things, baby. I’m the end and the beginning and everything in between. And just because I’m yours, doesn’t mean we’re not gonna find ourselves on opposite sides every once in a while.”
“You seem unusually comfortable with the idea.”
“I’ve made my peace with who you are, my love. We’ve weathered too many storms for me to worry that anything could divide us permanently. Existence is long, mi vida. One way or another, we’ll find our way back.”
“...fine. But you can’t have him. I’m not taking it easy on you.”
“I’d be insulted if you did.”
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G:\GPCC\ Autorecord\Audio\Interview\2026\July\Room5\
Case29A_590B1\interviewrecording_file676sd5.mp3
Green Park Correctional Center – Burlington County, New Jersey
Interview Room Automated Record - 30/07/2026
“Jesus, ease up, man. What am I gonna do, snap the chair leg off and fight ‘em?”
“Shut up and put your hands on the table.”
“I’m just saying, this seems a little unnecessary- oof!”
“That’s for having a smart mouth, Shepherd. Now shut up and tell the feds what they want to hear.”
“Which is it? Shut up or tell them what they want?”
“Oh, you little pissant-”
“That’ll be all, Officer Phillips.”
“Keep an eye on this one, sir. He’s trouble.”
“Does everyone in this hellhole speak in cliches or just you?”
“...if you need anything, ma’am, I’m just outside.”
“I’m a big girl, officer, I can take care of myself, thank you.”
“So...you’re the feds huh?”
“Mr Shepherd, my name is Special Agent Victor Pradesh and this is Special-”
“I don’t think you’re meant to be talking to me without my lawyer here. Pretty sure the judge made that clear.”
“I’m just here to talk, Thomas.”
“No one’s playing fast and loose with his right to counsel. That’s how he put it, actually. I have a pretty good memory for that kind of thing, you know.”
“That’s good, Thomas. Or is it Tommy?”
“It’s neither until my lawyer gets here.”
“Tommy, I want to talk to you about the night at the corner store. About what really happened.”
“You and everyone else.”
“These are stills we took from the store’s CCTV footage. At first blush, they seem to paint a pretty clear picture of what went down. But I’m curious about this moment, here.”
“You mean before or after I slipped in expired yoghurt and fell on my ass?”
“See, we have some of the best tech guys in the country working at our lab out in Quantico and I’ll tell you, they can’t make heads or tails of this. It’s like a haze, see?”
“What is this, a Roschach test? It’s a blip on the camera, man, so what?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. That’s what I’m hoping you can tell me.”
“Man, Lawyer Jeff is gonna be pissed when he gets here. He’s already tearing this place a new one, guess your office is next.”
“I heard you got your ass handed to you.”
“That’s one way to put it, ma’am.”
“Tommy, help me help you here. If you cooperate, I can speak to the DA, get some of these charges dismissed.”
“Or I can not cooperate and watch Lawyer Jeff eviscerate you in front of the judge. To be honest, Agent Pradesh, that sounds more fun. Not much in the way of entertainment in here, you know?”
“How about we change that? I can get you a few privileges, help make the time go a little quicker.”
“Sorry, my mom always told me not to accept treats from strange men.”
“Where is your mother?”
“What?”
“I saw your visitor log. She hasn’t come to visit you once. Doesn’t she live twenty minutes from here?”
“Guess she’s busy, ma’am.”
“Hm. Vic, why don’t you give us a minute?”
“That’s not what we agreed.”
“Yeah but my dick is bigger than yours and I want to talk to the kid alone. So scoot.”
“...neat trick.”
“It’s a good reminder for him. So why hasn’t your mother visited you?”
“I don’t know, ma’am. You’d have to ask her.”
“Maybe I will. Wonder what’s she so occupied with. You got siblings?”
“...No. I don’t.”
“You sure?”
“What’s this about? Why are federal agents interested in a hold up gone wrong?”
“Why, indeed. What do you think?”
“About what?”
“About why so many people are so interested in you. What makes Tommy Shepherd so special?”
“Nothing, ma’am. There’s nothing special about me at all.”
“Well, on that we can agree.”
“If you’re done negging me, I’d like to get back to my cell now.”
“Why? Got a hot date?”
“I’ve got stuff to do.”
“Like what?”
“Jesus, what's with the-"
“Interrogation? Look around, kid. What did you expect?”
“Fine. I’m writing a letter.”
“How sweet. And who’s the lucky lady? Or gent?”
“No one. I’m just...I wanted to write to the family of the guy who died.”
“Jim Trent, the cashier. You know his family?”
“No.”
“Then why write?”
“To say I’m sorry.”
“What for? By your own admission, you’ve done nothing wrong.”
“Maybe. But I didn’t do anything right either.”
“You know, some would take that as a confession.”
“They just lost their son. He should’ve died with them, not me. I just wanted to tell them...I don’t know. That I’m sorry it happened, even if it’s not my fault.”
“...cousin.”
“What?”
“His parents are dead. Only one left is a cousin he lived with, and her kids. That’s who you’re writing to.”
“Thanks.”
“I’ll see you soon, Tommy.”
“Can’t wait, Agent...?”
“Vidal. Special Agent Rio Vidal.”