Two thousand years later, we are still trying to understand the story of Jesus... and many more stories told and passed down through the ages.
Everyone has a different story to tell, which suits each person's already established opinions, beliefs, egoic needs. Can we even know anything at the time of happening? Is there a way?
It's not easy to look into the eyes of innocence and truth when you've already condemned and convicted a mother and child. So, you don't call them to court, you don't have to know their story, you don't need real witnesses and real events. You can and do convict without them.