Trial Resumes After Rape Victim Held In Contempt Of Court
DETROIT (WWJ) - A rape victim who spent three days in jail for contempt of court is back on the stand Friday in 36th District Court.
WWJ and Fox 2 Legal Analyst Charlie Langton says the victim was testifying in a rape case when things got a little heated.
"She was being aggressively cross-examined by the defense attorney and the victim kind of blew up and said a few choice, maybe not-so-nice words that one would say in a court. The judge said 'hey you can't say that,' and put her in jail for three days," Langton said.
He also said it is possible that this outburst could hurt her testimony.
"The jury always judges the credibility of witnesses, and if this particular victim is a hot-head, one that would spew off some really bad words, then that character will be loud and clear to a jury, and the jury may not believe her. So, hopefully she's learned from this lesson," Langton said.
According to the victim's testimony, she was walking to a bus stop on Eight Mile when she was abducted and driven to a house in Detroit, where she was beaten and raped repeatedly by two men. She was able to escape and call for help. Eventually, police arrested one of her alleged attackers at that same house with the victim's cell phone in his pocket.
The rape victim will continue her testimony Friday.
