New York Criminal Lawyer Blog
A convicted sex offender on trial for kidnapping and raping an 11-year-old girl and keeping her captive for 18 years was expected to give a guilty plea – until his lawyer asserted the grand jury was improperly selected and acted inappropriately.
The public defender in this case is defending her clients against charges of rape, kidnapping, and other charges in an amended indictment, and she urged them to plead not-guilty.
The public defender did not elaborate on her claims regarding the jury, but did say she had questions about the racial makeup and the geographical makeup of the jury that indicted the couple on trial – the kidnapper and his wife. They were indicted mainly for the kidnapping of the 11-year-old girl, who is now 30. The public defender has been instructed to outline her objections in writing.
A second attorney, the one representing the kidnapper’s wife, had earlier said he expected the kidnapper to plead guilty and spend the rest of his life in prison.
The public defender was understandably bothered by that.
“He shouldn’t have been speaking for [my client]. He should speak for his client.”
The wife’s attorney said he did not know about the public defender’s plan until the day before she made her assertions.
The district attorney plans to continue with the trial and expects the grand jury’s decision to be upheld.
“My responsibility is to see that these two are held accountable for the enormity of their actions,” he explained. “We are determined to do that.”
The girl at the heart of the trial was kidnapped from her street in June 1991 as she walked to a school bus stop. During her imprisonment, she bore two daughters, now 13 and 16, to her kidnapper. All three of them were kept in a backyard compound of tents and sheds. They had never been to school or seen a doctor in during the entire period.
The kidnapper and his wife confessed everything and even seemed to want to spare their victim and her daughters from testifying. They were originally charged with 18 counts of kidnapping, rape, false imprisonment, child pornography, and committing lewd acts on a child.
No matter what the crime or how sensational it may be, everyone should have the best possible legal representation – like a New York City Criminal Lawyer. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty and the burden of proof is on the prosecution. Make sure your rights are fully protected by talking to a New York City Criminal Lawyer as soon as possible