Defense Calls 6-Year-Old Girl ‘Pathological Liar’

By D.C. Witness Staff - October 4, 2019
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Juveniles | Suspects | Victims |

During closing arguments for a murder trial, a defense attorney called a victim’s six-year-old sister a “pathological liar.”

James Embre is charged with felony murder, first-degree cruelty to children and second-degree cruelty to children for his alleged role in the death of two-year-old Aceyson Aizim Ahmad on the 3400 block of A Street, SE on April 17. According to court documents, Embre, 26, was involved in a romantic relationship with Aceyson’s mother.

“There is not one iota of physical evidence that would convict James Embre of this crime,” Jonathan Zucker, Embre’s defense attorney, told the jury during closing arguments Oct. 3. “If you as a juror believe, and I hate to say this, a six-year-old pathological liar then you have been fooled by the prosecution.”

The case ends and begins with the testimony of Aceyson’s sister,” Zucker said.

He said the prosecution was attempting to “paint my client as anything other than what he really is and that is all cockimamy nonsense.”

Zucker said Aceyson’s sister had been caught lying multiple times before and there were other instances where Aceyson sustained injuries from his sister before Embre began dating the mother.

“We know of at least three times where Aceyson was hurt and all three of those cases occurred before James was in the picture,” Zucker said.

He also said that Aceyson’s mom was abusive to her children, which she admitted during her testimony. He said that Aceyson’s sister was “simply replicating what she had learned from her mother.”

However, the prosecution said Embre wanted to have a bigger disciplinary role in the children’s lives and was upset he couldn’t have that.

“All James Embre wanted to do was to get high and drink and it angered him that he had to care for children that were not his without being able to punish them,” said the prosecutor during her closing arguments.

The prosecutor also said Embre was the only possible culprit of the crime because of the size of the abrasions on Aceyson were not consistent with a six-year-old’s fingernails.

She said Embre had “exclusive care of Aceyson.”

Aceyson’s sister was the only eyewitness who has repeatedly said, in multiple testimonies, that she saw Embre punch Aceyson when he was on the bed, the prosecutor said.

She said that when Aceyson’s sister was talking to police about what happened she mentioned that Embre punched her in the leg and told her not to tell her mother what happened.

The prosecutor also said body worn footage shows that when Aceyson’s mother confronted Embre about hurting the baby he immediately got aggressive and “put his fists up like he was ready to fight.” She said he did this because he knew he “had been caught.”

Jury deliberations are set to begin on Oct. 4.