Case Involving Sex Abuse and Domestic Violence Goes to Trial

By D.C. Witness Staff - February 26, 2021
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Juveniles | Suspects | Victims |

A DC Superior Court judge ruled that a child sex abuse case has enough evidence to go to trial. 

The defendant is charged with first-degree child sex abuse and second-degree child sex abuse against three victims who are nine, 10 and 11 years old. 

During the Feb. 25 proceedings, the lead Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detective on the case said that, in a series of interviews, the victims accused the defendant of touching them inappropriately and sending inappropriate text messages, including pornography.

But, the defense attorney said that one of the victims has been sexually abused before, which caused the defendant to worry that any of the three would be victimized by another act of sexual abuse.

Because of this concern, the defendant says he periodically “checked” the victims for signs of sexual abuse, including by checking if the victims’ hymens were intact.

Although they never witnessed it, four people, who know the defendant personally, said they knew the defendant did this, but that he never touched the children inappropriately. 

The defendant says a doctor showed him how to check for sexual abuse. The defendant also says he sent the inappropriate text messages as a “test” to determine how the victims would respond in an abusive situation. 

The prosecution called this absurd and “self-serving.”

The prosecution argued that the victims were consistent with the content of their allegations and confided in each other to help determine what happened to them, and not to fabricate a story against the defendant.

Judge Michael Ryan agreed with the prosecution, saying the defendant created a “fantasyland” to excuse his behavior.

The judge said it was not credible that a doctor would have showed the defendant how to “check” for sexual abuse. 

Judge Ryan determined the defendant was a risk to the victims, and chose to hold him at the DC Jail. 

A status hearing is scheduled for July 8. 

Alaina Provenza wrote this article.