Days of our Lives Recap, March 26: The judge makes a shocking decision about Rachel

Here is your Days of our Lives recap for Thursday, March 26, 2026, when Rachel told her story to the judge and prayed for the best.

What happened on Days of our Lives

In the judge's chambers, Kristen was horrified to learn that the judge was considering throwing her behind bars for seven years on perjury charges. "You know what, if this is the way it's going to go, you might as well send me back to prison right this second," Kristen shouted, alarming Rachel, who was already in tears.

Brady hid his head in his hands as Kristen made a dramatic show of things by standing up and offering her wrists. "Lock me up," she demanded. Melinda quickly requested a recess. The judge granted one and left the room so Melinda could speak to her client. Melinda ordered Kristen not to say another word and let the lawyer do the talking.

Kristen reasoned that there was no reason for Rachel to have to confess to shooting EJ if the judge was just going to send Kristen back to prison anyway. Rachel insisted on telling the truth anyway. "Once the judge knows the truth about what happened, there's no way that she'll send you back to prison," Rachel said.

Belle agreed that the judge might drop the charges once she heard the story, but there were no guarantees. When the judge returned, Rachel stood up and told her she had something to say. The judge swore Rachel in, so she proceeded to tell her story.

"I'm the guilty one. My mom is innocent. I did it. I shot my uncle," Rachel said, matter-of-factly. "It was an accident. I swear I did not mean to shoot my uncle. I just wanted him to tell me where my grandmother was. I saw the gun sitting there and I thought if I pointed at him, he'd tell me cause I'd seen it happen in movies. I just missed my grandma so much...I'm sorry. I did not mean to shoot him. I swear I did not mean it," Rachel cried.

After she was finished telling the judge what she did, Brady and Kristen praised Rachel for her bravery. The adults in the room presented all the reasons why no charges should be pressed against Rachel, including her commitment to psychiatric treatment.

In Horton Town Square, Marlena and EJ discussed Rachel's case. "It breaks my heart to see Rachel carrying such a tremendous burden," EJ said. Marlena felt the same way and hoped Kristen would not have to return to Statesville.

Back at the courthouse, the judge asked to hear from EJ, so Belle texted him and told him it was showtime. "It's the moment of truth, Marlena," EJ said after receiving the text. He walked away, leaving Marlena nervous about what might happen next.

Brady sent Rachel home with Tate as EJ arrived. Rachel told him how sorry she was before leaving. EJ told his tale, explaining that he was alone in his living room when Rachel confronted him with a gun she had found on a table. He made sure to tell the judge that he was remiss in not putting the gun away.

"Rachel is my niece, whom I adore. She is a very bright and sensitive little girl who has suffered far too much hardship in her young life. She never meant to hurt me and once she'd remembered what she'd done, she owned up to it immediately. She did not intentionally lie to this court in the previous hearing," EJ said.

The judge called another recess to go over Rachel's entire Bayview file. Belle and Brady took a break from the courthouse and found Marlena in the square. Belle informed her mom that Bayview was emailing the records, which alarmed them. They knew that the judge would see that Rachel was discharged against medical advice.

Belle grew more alarmed when she learned that the judge wanted Marlena to testify. "Kristen opened the door when she invoked you as part of Rachel's ongoing treatment," Belle explained to Marlena. Brady nearly broke down at the idea of Rachel being sent back to Bayview and asked for a few moments alone.

At the Brady Pub, Melinda learned of Marlena's testimony. Kristen thought this was a good thing. "This is her granddaughter we're talking about. Marlena is not going to say anything to send Rachel back to that horrible place," Kristen insisted. Melinda didn't seem too sure.

When they all returned to the judge's chambers, the judge told Marlena that she had seen Rachel had been released from Bayview early and that Rachel had given Sarah pistachio ice cream. The judge asked if Marlena would be willing to supervise Rachel's psychiatric treatment. Marlena said she wasn't sure if it was appropriate, being that she was Rachel's grandmother.

The judge asked if Marlena thought that Rachel was fit to be back in society and school. Marlena had Holly's pills on her mind and had to be honest. She admitted that she did not agree with Kristen taking Rachel out of Bayview, but she was impressed with how well Rachel had done there. Marlena also remembered when Rachel had pinched her last week.

Marlena felt she had no choice but to be honest. "I think Rachel still needs to be at Bayview," Marlena said. The judge finally made her decision. Kristen would walk free, but Rachel would return to Bayview until the doctors believed she was ready for release.

At the Salem PD, JJ tried to focus on paperwork, but was distracted. Theo appeared and interrupted his thoughts. Theo wanted to check on his friend. "I needed to step up and I froze like a damn rookie," JJ admitted about the night before. "Shawn could have died because I couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger and now I can't stop seeing it."

JJ told Theo that he had a clean shot and should have taken it. "After it was over, I told myself there was nothing I could do and that I followed protocol. But Shawn remembered. He told me that I froze, Theo," JJ said. "You were right. I never should have put the badge back on."

In Theo's eyes, hesitating before pulling the trigger wasn't a bad thing. JJ disagreed. "Now Shawn has to live with taking a life because I didn't," JJ said. Theo thought that JJ was being too hard on himself. "Theo, I made two near-fatal mistakes and I'm not going to make a third." JJ was sure that Jada would ask for his badge once Shawn told her what had happened.

Jada brought flowers to Shawn's hospital room while he was talking to Ciara on the phone. After Shawn hung up, Jada let him know how much the whole squad missed him. Shawn discussed his physical therapy, so Jada noted she hoped Belle wouldn't let him overdo it once she got him home.

Shawn was surprised to hear that Belle had offered to take care of him once he was released from the hospital. Shawn admitted he wasn't happy with the idea. "I am comfortable with Belle and we get along just fine, but the thought of being close like that again...it would be awkward," Shawn said.

Jada insisted that Shawn would need someone to take care of him, so she suggested that he could move in with her while he recovered. While Shawn didn't want to be a burden, he took Jada up on her offer. While they discussed house rules, JJ appeared to hand over his badge and gun.

Both Shawn and Jada were confused, so JJ told Jada the truth. "I had a shot at Klaus and I froze," JJ said. Jada looked at Shawn, who tried to explain it away. "It all happened so fast. JJ hadn't slept. He'd been running himself into the ground," Shawn said. JJ handed Jada his gun and badge and she accepted.

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By this point, Jada was furious at Shawn. "I should suspend you for filing a statement that wasn't accurate...You left out the part where you knowingly left a broken cop on the street and that could have cost someone else their life," she accused.

Catch all-new episodes of Days of our Lives weekdays on Peacock.

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