Thursday, September 7, 2017

The Defendant ~ The Accused Predator



I was a juror.  The defendant was charged with the online solicitation of
a minor.  It was my job to listen to the evidence and to decide beyond all
reasonable doubt, his guilt or innocence.  

How many times have we heard that line in movies and on television?
Beyond a reasonable doubt.  When sitting in the jury box, those words
are far more solemn than while watching a scripted performance.  I 
took the job very seriously.

Here is the case in a nutshell.  The accused was arrested two plus
hours away from home, in a park at night, in a city that was 
unfamiliar to him.  He had been followed online by agents of the
state of Texas via a sting operation.

Remember when I told you yesterday that I suspected I was
chosen as a juror because of my response to how I felt
about the idea of a such an operative used by law enforcement?
It is my belief that a sting is permissible because it allows
the prevention of a potential crime.  

The defendant was living in Austin.  He was using the internet to
find a young girl.  He logged onto a website that facilitated the
hook-up between interested parties.  The particular site he was
using, permits the user to request communication within a 
specified age group.  His request was to communicate with 
girls between the ages of 14 and 17.  He didn't use a playful
moniker, but used his middle name.  He said he was 22 years
old.  In actuality, he was 29.

It wasn't very long before he had a response to his request.
A girl responded with a photo of herself.  It was a photo 
that showed her sitting with her legs crossed at the ankles
wearing mismatched socks and and casual attire.  It was
quite an innocent looking picture, not sexually suggestive
in any way.  Text was added to the photo which stated
why do guys always go for the skinny cheerleader type?

The defendant took the bait, and yes, it was indeed bait
because the responder was not a young teen, but rather
an adult officer of the court.  He responds.  She tells him
she thinks she is chubby.  He tells her she is not.  He once again
 verifies that she is 14.  She says she is and will be 15 in
July.  This was probable because the communication was in
the spring.  

As a juror, I was required to listen to the facts and all of the
testimony very carefully.  The evidence showed that he 
repeatedly asked the "girl" he was communicating with if
she was indeed 14.  She said she was.  The dialog from him
became more and more graphic regarding what he wanted and
what he would do to her.  To be honest, I am a fairly modest,
God fearing woman, and the graphic nature of his dialog
was hard to listen to.  Yet, listen I did, as everything that was
shared was pertinent to the case.  

I also watched him very closely.  He is a well educated man
and appears to come from a very good home.  He has a good
command of the language and expresses himself very succinctly.
If you were to meet him on the street, you would not think of
him as a sexual predator.  Looks can certainly be deceiving.

What I noticed was a lack of emotion.  Never did I see him
reveal a sense of remorse for his actions.  That lack sent 
chills up my spine. 

He made a point of expressing his sexual fantasy.  It was to
take the virginity of a 14 year old girl.  He wanted to take
her "V-Card".  The only goal he had was to pleasure himself,
and to exploit a young girl.

I must at this point, let you know that he pleaded innocent
to the charge of online solicitation.  He tried to defend his
words and actions by telling the court that he was simply
involved in "age play" and that he suspected that the 
"young girl" he was communicating with was in 
actuality a grown woman who was age playing as well.
He even went so far as to say that perhaps she was married
and was just looking for some fun, or perhaps she was
just lonely.

We also learned during this phase of the trial that he had
hired prostitutes on three separate occasions, but then said he
was looking for a relationship.  

In my mind, he was losing credibility.  The case would continue.

More tomorrow,
Susan and Bentley



4 comments:

  1. I bet the info was hard to hear but glad you took it so seriously.

    ReplyDelete
  2. So much of this going on in our country now. I have been called for duty on occasions, but never served. Now, too old and they want accept me. Kinda glad.

    ReplyDelete
  3. We're up in NE Texas. Every 6 months I get a jury summons, usually for the first or second week of Dec, which ruins are ability to travel to see grandkids for Thanksgiving or Christmas. I finally complained after the 5th summons and they let me off last Dec, but then I got one in July for mid August. I got called and went in, but was dismissed with half the people there. We didn't even get questioned. My husband has never got even one summons! I heard that once you are called in Texas, they will take your name out of the list. I hope so!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Gross, gross, gross. Having grown up in a home with a pervert as a father, this type of behavior is one of my soap boxes in life. It's all around us and always has been. People you would never think capable do horrible things to others...and animals. I have no sympathy and tend to immediately think and want the worst punishments for them. They are scum and they deserve no second chances.

    ReplyDelete

Oliver and I LOVE and read every comment.

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...