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Author Topic: 20 TX Males (Ages middle school to 27 yo) Charged in Rape of 11 YO Girl  (Read 19720 times)
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flutter1
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« Reply #20 on: August 30, 2012, 09:49:13 AM »

http://www.khou.com/news/local/1st-trial-to-begin-in-alleged-rapes-of-Cleveland-girl-167836335.html
Cleveland gang rape suspect vanishes on first day of his trial
August 29, 2012

LIBERTY, Texas  -- An arrest warrant has been issued for Eric McGowen who failed to return to a Liberty County courtroom following a break during the first day of his rape trial.

He didn’t come back after an afternoon break that followed the testimony of two co-defendants who pleaded guilty in the case. One said he didn’t see McGowen have sex with the girl but did see him sexually assault her. The other said he never saw McGowen sexually assault the girl.

Testimony continued Wednesday despite McGowen's absence.
More...



An animal and a coward!  Be a man, McGowen -- isn't that what you were trying to prove when you raped that child?  Now take your punishment like a man.   
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We don`t know who the monsters are.  And as a parent, our job is to take care of our children. Ken Fries, Sheriff Allen County commenting on the death of Aliah
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« Reply #21 on: August 30, 2012, 04:09:11 PM »

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Suspect-escapes-during-Texas-girl-assault-trial-3826247.php
Texas man convicted in 2010 sex assault case
August 30, 2012

LIBERTY, Texas (AP) — A jury deliberated for about 20 minutes Thursday before convicting a man of sexually assaulting a middle school student who prosecutors say was raped by 20 men and boys from her town over a matter of months two years ago.

Eric McGowen wasn't in court when he was found guilty of aggravated sexual assault of a child. The 20-year-old had been free on bail and he skipped out during a break in proceedings Wednesday, the first day of testimony.

The judge issued an arrest warrant for McGowen Wednesday and allowed testimony to resume Thursday. The sentencing portion of the trial was scheduled to resume Thursday after a short break. McGowen faces from 25 years to life in prison.
 ::snipping2::
Liberty County Sheriff's Capt. Steve Green declined in an email Wednesday to comment on the search for McGowen. Greene said since McGowen was free on bail, a security detail was not required to watch or follow him. He also said McGowen "should be considered armed and dangerous."

Prosecutors and defense attorney are not commenting on the case because of a gag order.

After prosecutors concluded their case Thursday following the testimony of nearly a dozen witnesses over a day and a half, defense attorney Matthew Poston rested his case without presenting any witnesses or evidence.

McGowen was in court Wednesday when the girl, now 13, spoke about her ordeal. Testifying using a pseudonym, she told jurors about an encounter in October 2010 and one the following month in which she said McGowen and several other men and boys took turns sexually assaulting her while recording the encounters on video.

The girl briefly broke down in tears as jurors were shown a few minutes of video of the alleged sexual assault in October 2010.

She described another encounter that November that started in a different Cleveland home and continued at a nearby abandoned trailer. She told jurors that McGowen assaulted her with a beer bottle during that incident.
 ::snipping2::
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« Reply #22 on: August 30, 2012, 11:31:01 PM »

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/article/Man-gets-99-years-for-sex-assault-of-Texas-girl-3826247.php
Man gets 99 years for sex assault of Texas girl
Updated 8:00 p.m., Thursday, August 30, 2012

LIBERTY, Texas (AP) — A man convicted of participating in the repeated group sexual assault of an 11-year-old Texas girl was sentenced Thursday to 99 years in prison — but he wasn't in court to face his fate.
 ::snipping2::
McGowen was free on bail at the time he disappeared, so authorities say a security detail was not required to watch or follow him. The Liberty County Sheriff's Office has declined to release any details about the search for McGowen, other than to say that he is believed to be armed and dangerous.
 ::snipping2::
Prosecutors' case against McGowen included a videotaped confession and testimony from nearly a dozen witnesses, including the girl, who is now 13. Defense attorneys did not present any witnesses or evidence.

Jurors were swift in their decisions. They deliberated for just 20 minutes before finding him guilty of aggravated sexual assault of a child. Then, after brief testimony in the punishment phase, they decided his sentence in less than 30 minutes.

Most of the jurors declined to comment afterward. The jury foreman made a brief statement as bailiffs led jurors from the courtroom.

"The state did their job. The evidence was overwhelming," said the foreman, who declined to give his name while being escorted out a back door

Neither the girl nor her family were in the courtroom when the jury's decisions were announced; McGowen's relatives also were not present.
 ::snipping2::
McGowen was the first defendant to stand trial in the case. All six of the juveniles and two of the 14 adults charged have pleaded guilty. McGowen faced a minimum sentence of 25 years prison and a maximum of life.

Prosecutor Joe Warren said he doesn't believe that the jury's conviction and sentence were lessened by McGowen not being in the courtroom.

However, McGowen's defense attorney, Matthew Poston, said his client's decision to flee in the middle of the trial "absolutely affected" the jury's decision to convict. Poston said he didn't know where McGowen is now.
More...





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« Reply #23 on: August 31, 2012, 09:36:25 AM »

Maybe this is an example to the rest not to run.  You'll still get tried and convicted.  You'll just look even more like a coward if you run.
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« Reply #24 on: September 01, 2012, 03:07:58 PM »

Maybe this is an example to the rest not to run.  You'll still get tried and convicted.  You'll just look even more like a coward if you run.

Absolutely agree. 
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« Reply #25 on: September 01, 2012, 03:15:54 PM »

Blaming the eleven year old victim just makes me crazy.  Even IF she went and offered herself to any of these men, they didn't HAVE to have sex with her.  If any of these men had any idea what was going on, they should have reported it to the authorities immediately.  And no, I don't think the race card here has anything to do with it, and they shouldn't try to make it a racial issue.  I don't care if the girl was asian, white, mixed race, black or even an extra-terrestrial, she was a child and men should not rape nor have any kind of sexual relationship with a child.  It amounts to rape of a child, no matter if it was consensual IMO. Look at the area I've bolded in the article.  I mean really~!!   

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Some-in-Texas-town-still-disagree-over-sex-assault-3833546.php
Some in Texas town still disagree over sex assault
September 1, 2012

Prosecutors say the girl was sexually assaulted on at least five occasions from mid-September through early December of 2010, at the mobile home and elsewhere. Some in Cleveland, located about 45 miles northwest of Houston, have suggested the girl was partly responsible because of her appearance, sparking widespread condemnation. Some also believe the arrests were racially motivated; all of the suspects are black, while the girl is Hispanic.

Others, however, anxiously await the capture of the first person tried and convicted in the case who ran off in the middle of his trial.

"She was just 11," said Charles Armstrong, as he watched his 3 and 4 year old grandsons play in his front yard across the street from where the mobile home once stood.

"I'm not going to stand behind them (the defendants). I'm going to stand behind a jury," said Armstrong, sitting in a plastic chair outside his mobile home following an overnight shift at his maintenance job at Wal-Mart.

Despite evidence at Eric McGowen's trial that included a confession, DNA evidence, the girl's tearful testimony and a video of her being assaulted, others haven't been swayed.

Caroline King, who lives down the street, insisted Friday that people still "don't know the facts of the case" and said authorities were just "harassing people" by knocking on doors in the town of about 7,700 people as they searched for McGowen.

"It's not as bad as what they are saying. Nobody tied (the girl) up," said King, 59.


 ::snipping2::
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« Reply #26 on: September 01, 2012, 05:11:20 PM »

Blaming the eleven year old victim just makes me crazy.  Even IF she went and offered herself to any of these men, they didn't HAVE to have sex with her.  If any of these men had any idea what was going on, they should have reported it to the authorities immediately.  And no, I don't think the race card here has anything to do with it, and they shouldn't try to make it a racial issue.  I don't care if the girl was asian, white, mixed race, black or even an extra-terrestrial, she was a child and men should not rape nor have any kind of sexual relationship with a child.  It amounts to rape of a child, no matter if it was consensual IMO. Look at the area I've bolded in the article.  I mean really~!!   

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Some-in-Texas-town-still-disagree-over-sex-assault-3833546.php
Some in Texas town still disagree over sex assault
September 1, 2012

Prosecutors say the girl was sexually assaulted on at least five occasions from mid-September through early December of 2010, at the mobile home and elsewhere. Some in Cleveland, located about 45 miles northwest of Houston, have suggested the girl was partly responsible because of her appearance, sparking widespread condemnation. Some also believe the arrests were racially motivated; all of the suspects are black, while the girl is Hispanic.

Others, however, anxiously await the capture of the first person tried and convicted in the case who ran off in the middle of his trial.

"She was just 11," said Charles Armstrong, as he watched his 3 and 4 year old grandsons play in his front yard across the street from where the mobile home once stood.

"I'm not going to stand behind them (the defendants). I'm going to stand behind a jury," said Armstrong, sitting in a plastic chair outside his mobile home following an overnight shift at his maintenance job at Wal-Mart.

Despite evidence at Eric McGowen's trial that included a confession, DNA evidence, the girl's tearful testimony and a video of her being assaulted, others haven't been swayed.

Caroline King, who lives down the street, insisted Friday that people still "don't know the facts of the case" and said authorities were just "harassing people" by knocking on doors in the town of about 7,700 people as they searched for McGowen.

"It's not as bad as what they are saying. Nobody tied (the girl) up," said King, 59.


 ::snipping2::


This area of Texas, sadly, is one of the most ignorant places in the United States.  The status quo remains from an era where hangings were common for some crimes and blaming the victim was the answer for others.     I don't understand how something like this could have happened in civilized society -- but then I remember that morals and values have now become subjective and no one can judge others without running the risk of being labeled as narrow-minded.   
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We don`t know who the monsters are.  And as a parent, our job is to take care of our children. Ken Fries, Sheriff Allen County commenting on the death of Aliah
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« Reply #27 on: September 11, 2012, 10:53:47 PM »

http://montgomerycountypolicereporter.com/?p=51551
BREAKING NEWS-MCGOWEN IN CUSTODY
September 11, 2012

Eric McGowen, the man who was given 99 years for the sexual assault of the Cleveland girl during a gang rape incident is back in custody.
 ::snipping2::
He was arrested Tuesday morning by the Gulf Coast Violent Offender Task Force, Houston Police and the Texas Ranger. He was at a Greenspoint area apartment when he was taken into custody.
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« Reply #28 on: September 12, 2012, 10:58:13 AM »

http://montgomerycountypolicereporter.com/?p=51551
BREAKING NEWS-MCGOWEN IN CUSTODY
September 11, 2012

Eric McGowen, the man who was given 99 years for the sexual assault of the Cleveland girl during a gang rape incident is back in custody.
 ::snipping2::
He was arrested Tuesday morning by the Gulf Coast Violent Offender Task Force, Houston Police and the Texas Ranger. He was at a Greenspoint area apartment when he was taken into custody.


Shouldn't be humorous, but it made me smile at the irony:

http://www.ksat.com/news/US-marshals-Texas-rape-trial-fugitive-Eric-McGowen-found-sitting-on-toilet/-/478452/16565776/-/15se6tdz/-/index.html

Quote
US Marshals: Texas rape trial fugitive Eric McGowen found on toilet
Eric McGowen fled rape trial before conviction in girl's repeated assault
Author:
Published On: Sep 12 2012 05:58:47 AM CDT  Updated On: Sep 12 2012 08:20:40 AM CDT
McGowen was apparently caught by surprise, as he was sitting on a toilet when authorities entered the apartment and arrested him, said Capt. Steve Greene, a spokesman for the Liberty County Sheriff's Office.

He better get used to the lack of privacy because where he is going, there won't be any.   
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« Reply #29 on: September 12, 2012, 12:40:02 PM »

flutter1,
I think its funny as heck and I hope they took him out in handcuffs with his pants around his ankles.
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« Reply #30 on: September 13, 2012, 03:36:48 PM »

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Defendant-in-Cleveland-gang-rape-case-finally-3863201.php
Defendant in Cleveland gang rape case finally faces punishment
Updated September 13, 2012

LIBERTY - Eric McGowen finally stood in front of a judge Thursday to face his punishment for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old Cleveland girl after he had fled from a courtroom during the criminal trial.

McGowen, who was convicted more than two weeks ago in absentia of raping the girl and sentenced to 99 years without parole, was apprehended in Houston Tuesday after a massive manhunt.

The 21-year-old man disappeared Aug. 29 during his trial in Liberty. McGowen had been free on bail, and skipped out during a break in proceedings.
 ::snipping2::
McGowen was transported to the Liberty County Jail.

His lawyer, Matthew Poston, said his client will appeal the sentencing, saying it was excessive and unusual punishment.
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« Reply #31 on: September 14, 2012, 12:42:10 PM »

Blaming the eleven year old victim just makes me crazy.  Even IF she went and offered herself to any of these men, they didn't HAVE to have sex with her.  If any of these men had any idea what was going on, they should have reported it to the authorities immediately.  And no, I don't think the race card here has anything to do with it, and they shouldn't try to make it a racial issue.  I don't care if the girl was asian, white, mixed race, black or even an extra-terrestrial, she was a child and men should not rape nor have any kind of sexual relationship with a child.  It amounts to rape of a child, no matter if it was consensual IMO. Look at the area I've bolded in the article.  I mean really~!!   

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Some-in-Texas-town-still-disagree-over-sex-assault-3833546.php
Some in Texas town still disagree over sex assault
September 1, 2012

Prosecutors say the girl was sexually assaulted on at least five occasions from mid-September through early December of 2010, at the mobile home and elsewhere. Some in Cleveland, located about 45 miles northwest of Houston, have suggested the girl was partly responsible because of her appearance, sparking widespread condemnation. Some also believe the arrests were racially motivated; all of the suspects are black, while the girl is Hispanic.

Others, however, anxiously await the capture of the first person tried and convicted in the case who ran off in the middle of his trial.

"She was just 11," said Charles Armstrong, as he watched his 3 and 4 year old grandsons play in his front yard across the street from where the mobile home once stood.

"I'm not going to stand behind them (the defendants). I'm going to stand behind a jury," said Armstrong, sitting in a plastic chair outside his mobile home following an overnight shift at his maintenance job at Wal-Mart.

Despite evidence at Eric McGowen's trial that included a confession, DNA evidence, the girl's tearful testimony and a video of her being assaulted, others haven't been swayed.

Caroline King, who lives down the street, insisted Friday that people still "don't know the facts of the case" and said authorities were just "harassing people" by knocking on doors in the town of about 7,700 people as they searched for McGowen.

"It's not as bad as what they are saying. Nobody tied (the girl) up," said King, 59.


 ::snipping2::


This area of Texas, sadly, is one of the most ignorant places in the United States.  The status quo remains from an era where hangings were common for some crimes and blaming the victim was the answer for others.     I don't understand how something like this could have happened in civilized society -- but then I remember that morals and values have now become subjective and no one can judge others without running the risk of being labeled as narrow-minded.   

Hopefully the prosecution of all 20 rapists will impress on the community the seriousness of the crime of child rape, maybe break the long standing ignorance.    Morals and values have taken a beating in recent history, I so agree Flutter1. 
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« Reply #32 on: September 15, 2012, 04:51:29 AM »

http://www.khou.com/video/featured-videos/Cleveland-Rape-Mom-169862636.html
Mother of Cleveland gang rape victim says daughter cries at night
September 14, 2012

LIBERTY COUNTY— The mother of a young girl who was brutally raped by 20 men and boys two years ago expressed relief now that one of the men has been ordered to spend the next 99 years behind bars.

“I would like to see all of them have 99 years,” said Maria Ruiz. “That way they’ll never be able to hurt anyone again.”
 ::snipping2::
Ruiz said at night her daughter still cries about what happened. And Ruiz blamed the suspects for taking something her daughter can never get back.

“Her childhood,” she exclaimed.
 ::snipping2::
Video at Link
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« Reply #33 on: September 15, 2012, 12:42:55 PM »

http://www.khou.com/video/featured-videos/Cleveland-Rape-Mom-169862636.html
Mother of Cleveland gang rape victim says daughter cries at night
September 14, 2012

LIBERTY COUNTY— The mother of a young girl who was brutally raped by 20 men and boys two years ago expressed relief now that one of the men has been ordered to spend the next 99 years behind bars.

“I would like to see all of them have 99 years,” said Maria Ruiz. “That way they’ll never be able to hurt anyone again.”
 ::snipping2::
Ruiz said at night her daughter still cries about what happened. And Ruiz blamed the suspects for taking something her daughter can never get back.

“Her childhood,” she exclaimed.
 ::snipping2::
Video at Link

I so hope this child is getting the therapy she so desperately needs.  Her mother is right, her daughter will never get her childhood back and the grief from that loss will last her lifetime.  Prayers for her and others like her.   an angelic monkey
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We don`t know who the monsters are.  And as a parent, our job is to take care of our children. Ken Fries, Sheriff Allen County commenting on the death of Aliah
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« Reply #34 on: April 16, 2013, 10:58:15 AM »



Why did they identify this child's mother?

 

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« Reply #35 on: April 16, 2013, 11:04:09 AM »

The assault against this girl continues.  

http://jezebel.com/5964064/lawyer-says-11+year+old-gang-rape-victim-was-a-spider-luring-men-into-web

Lawyer Says 11-Year-Old Gang Rape Victim Was a 'Spider' Luring Men Into Web

 ::snipping2::

this article on a defense attorney who likened an 11-year-old survivor of gang rape to a conniving spider who lured her rapists into a web might actually be the most soul-suckingly disheartening story I've ever read.

20-year-old Jared Len Cruse is accused of gang-raping an 11-year-old Cleveland, Texas girl along with twenty of his male friends over the course of four months; you may remember our coverage of the story last year. But because she said "yes" when defense attorney Steve Taylor asked if she had been a "willing participant" and acknowledged that she hadn't made an "outcry" until questioned after sex tapes of the assault started circulating around Cleveland High School, Taylor argued that she was "the reason" that twenty teenagers and adult men raped a child on videotape.

"Like the spider and the fly. Wasn't she saying, 'Come into my parlor, said the spider to the fly?'" Taylor asked.

I actually feel nauseous.

Former Cleveland Police Department Sgt. Chad Langdon, the lead investigator on the case and a much-much-MUCH-needed voice of reason, testified that an 11-year-old cannot legally give consent for a sexual encounter, because she is eleven years old.

 ::snipping2::

« Last Edit: April 16, 2013, 11:08:06 AM by Bearlyhere » Logged

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« Reply #36 on: April 16, 2013, 11:35:01 AM »


http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Lawyer-likens-gang-rape-victim-to-a-spider-luring-4071735.php

Lawyer likens gang-rape victim to a spider luring men to web

LIBERTY - Liberty County prosecutors described Jared Len Cruse as one of a "pack of dogs" who gang-raped an 11-year-old Cleveland girl, while the defense likened the girl to a "spider" who lured men into her web.

Testimony in this case was over in a single day after Cruse, now 20, declined to testify and his attorney, Steve Taylor, rested without calling any witnesses Tuesday.

During opening remarks and the questioning of the young girl, Taylor stressed how she never shed a tear nor voiced a single complaint about her sexual encounters with any of the 20 males accused of assaulting her two years ago.

 ::snipping2::

In his opening remarks, Warren said Cruse was so proud of his sexual exploits with a child that he had his friends make a videotape.

"There he is with his face grinning at us," the prosecutor said.

Former Cleveland Police Department Sgt. Chad Langdon, who was the lead investigator on the case, also testified that an 11-year-old - due to her emotional immaturity - legally cannot give consent for a sexual encounter.

Taylor questioned why the underage girl had not been charged with anything for choosing to violate that rule, indicating that she was "the reason" that the encounters happened.

"Like the spider and the fly. Wasn't she saying, 'Come into my parlor, said the spider to the fly?' " Taylor asked.

"I wouldn't call her a spider," Langdon replied. "I'd say she was just an 11-year-old girl."

 ::snipping2::

Cruse is the second of 20 male defendants to be tried for allegedly sexually assaulting the girl over the course of four months in 2010 in Cleveland. The first, Eric McGowen, was convicted and received a sentence of 99 years in prison. Seven juveniles have received probation and six adults received 15 years in prison after pleading guilty in exchange for plea deals.

Cruse already is serving an eight-year sentence on convictions for aggravated robbery and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

 ::snipping2::

________________________________________________

I wonder if this lawyer tried the same tactic when his client was up for aggravated robbery and aggravated assault.  I can hear it now, well, the victim had money, therefore he was asking to be robbed and assaulted.

 

 
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« Reply #37 on: April 16, 2013, 11:44:49 AM »

If he is the second tried and there were 6 adults and 7 juveniles that plead out, that is 15 out of the 20.  The Houston Chronical says second of 20 male defendants.  That means it leaves the trials of 5 more defendants plus the results of Jared Len Cruse's trial to find the fates of these 20 males.

 
« Last Edit: April 16, 2013, 03:28:53 PM by Bearlyhere » Logged

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« Reply #38 on: April 16, 2013, 02:05:11 PM »



http://www.salon.com/2012/11/29/an_11_year_old_rape_victim_is_not_a_temptress/

 Thursday, Nov 29, 2012 11:39 AM EST

An 11-year-old rape victim is not a temptress
A jury convicts a man of sexual assault -- but after his lawyer compares the case to "the spider and the fly"

It should not, in America in 2012, be this hard. Not just this hard to get a tough verdict on a crime that went on for months, one that was documented and shared like a trophy around the local middle school. It should not be this hard to get it through anybody’s head that an 11-year-old child who’s been repeatedly abused is not the problem here. Or that anybody who makes it his job to paint a little girl who’s been raped as a predatory vixen is an inexcusably shoddy excuse for a human being.

In Texas on Wednesday, a jury convicted 20-year-old Jared Len Cruise of aggravated sexual assault for his role in the gang rapes of an 11-year-old girl from the small town of Cleveland.

 ::snipping2::

Appallingly for the girl, she’s now involved in another sexual assault saga – police say that a 30-year-old convicted drug dealer has pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual assault stemming from an incident after the girl ran away from the facility Child Protective Services placed her in last year.

 ::snipping2::

When he [the defense attorney] asked her outright if she had been a “willing participant” in what happened to her, she replied, “Yes, sir.” And that, for anyone who knows anything about children or who knows anything about abuse, is one of the most devastating quotes from the whole story. Imagine what you’d have to have endured. Imagine what it’d be like to still be only a young teenager, and have to sit in a courtroom and account for your own actions in your assault. Imagine yourself saying, “Yes, sir.”

 ::snipping2::

[defense attorney to prosecuting attorney]
  ”I hope nothing like this ever happens to your two teenage sons.” Because apparently those four months of sustained sexual abuse against a child are something that happened to Jared Len Cruise and 19 other guys.

In his closing remarks, Taylor [defense attorney] capped off his truly spectacular assault on both logic and humanity by saying, “People don’t come with signs telling their age. How does a young man know? You can’t cut off their legs and count the rings like a tree.”

 ::snipping2::

Prosecutor Joe Warren, meanwhile, cited the evidence. “Look at how proud he [Cruse] is on that video as his buddies say ‘beat that ho,’” he told the jury. And the jury convicted.

 ::snipping2::

....even an attorney can do better than paint an 11-year-old — one who said in her original affidavit that she faced “threats she would be beaten if she did not comply” — is not some wily temptress. She’s not the “spider.” She’s a kid who’s been through a horror that very few of us can ever even fully imagine. And she doesn’t deserve the additional abuse of being shamed for being raped.


[added by me]

BBM, enlarged by me

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Time spent with monkeys is never wasted. 
I believe in miracles!
Bearlyhere
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« Reply #39 on: April 16, 2013, 02:11:08 PM »



So, this girl has been raped by yet another convicted criminal, this one 30 years old, who has now plead guilty to aggravated sexual assault.  This makes the 21st male who has raped or sexually assaulted this girl.

    

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There is no foot too small that it cannot leave an imprint on this world.
Time spent with monkeys is never wasted. 
I believe in miracles!
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