to which prosecutor helen brinkman replied, who does she think she's kidding? >> what this may be is practicing a play in the theater >> reporter: abby was certainly not sexually assaulted is, said the prosecutor. this, she told the jury, was an extremely inappropriate love story as evidenced by the mother. >> did you ever confront your son about this? >> no, i didn't. >> why not? >> because i knew he would run to her and tell her and it wouldn't be able to be exposed. he was madly in love with ms. simon with his whole heart and his whole soul. >> reporter: the law is absolutely clear, said the prosecution. abby's behavior was illegal. the boy was 15. the age of consent with a teacher is 18. why, they ask, would abby simon take him on day trips to chicago and notre dame, where this photo was taken of the smiling couple, if not for love? it was a disturbing story, they said. this told through abby's text messages. abby's friends and had them read messages abby sent them reflecting thousands of other texts that sounded very much like a woman in love with a boy. >

and so a veteran prosecutor named helen brinkman was assigned the case.t was to be her last before retirement. she'd made a career out of prosecuting sex crimes. you go after rapists and abusers on behalf of victims, and you have a situation where there's a person you're prosecuting who claims she is the victim. >> yes. what a way to end a 25-year-long career, to have someone who was preying on a 15-year-old boy for her own gratification turn around and make the child responsible. i still have a difficult time wrapping my mind around that. >> reporter: still, in an effort to avoid what was sure to be a very public, very painful trial, the prosecutor's office offered abby simon a plea deal. plead guilty to one count of criminal sexual conduct and accept one-year behind bars, which with time off for good behavior, would likely mean abby would be free in matter of months. >> i know we as a team really wanted them to accept that plea offer so that that kid didn't have to go through any of that. the damage and harm that comes from this kind of trial to a kid,