It's always hard to dredge up memories of how things once were, but it's even harder for me. I ask myself the same questions over and over again, "How could you let this happen?", "Why didn't you notice?", etc. etc., ad infinitum.

I remember my Winona as a sweet, loving girl. Big breasted, yes, but loving all the same. Winny, as we used to call her, would always cozy up to me or her dad and tell us how much she loved us. She would go out of her way to make friends and make everyone feel comfortable and safe.

No one seemed to notice how things turned up missing. A dollar from my purse, a stick of gum out of her dad's back pocket, a bracelet from one friend, shoes from another. We didn't put it together. Why would we? She was our sweet girl.

But, today, after speaking with her regarding the court case, I decided to take a little trip down memory lane, hoping to lose myself in our precious past. I don't think I can adequately express the shock and sadness I felt when I came across this picture of Winny at her best friend Katie's 12th birthday party:

Do you see it!? No? Look closer.

There's Winona on the left. Do you see what she's doing? Look at how she covets that jean jacket! Look at her hand! She's practically carressing it! I can see the desire burning in her even across all these years and bad kodak film.

I remember that jean jacket so vividly. When it turned up missing, Katie's mother was on the phone with all of us parents, hoping maybe someone had grabbed it by mistake. I had no clue of even its existence. Winny claimed she hadn't seen it. A couple weeks later, I noticed her wearing a jean jacket just like that one in the picture, but she swore she'd got at the church rummage sale. How was I to know?!

And now. Now the whole world knows my baby girl can't keep her hands off the things she wants. They've all seen the videotape and heard the court proceedings and they have labelled her THIEF! But, my Winny was a good girl. She has a problem, yes, but at heart she's just a confused, out of work actor with the heart of a coveting child.

You have to believe me. look at her here. See how scared she is?

And here - how happy she looks, how peaceful?

This is my Winny. Please don't judge my baby on her faults. That's all I ask.