Josh sat at the defendant's table in the county courthouse wearing an ill-fitting suit his public defender had provided, trying to maintain dignity while facing charges of violating the restraining order, assault, and stalking; the courtroom was half-full with observers, including reporters covering the trial because of Rukky's growing prominence as a domestic violence advocate.

Judge Patricia Holloway presided, the same judge who'd granted Rukky's restraining order months earlier. "The State ...