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Witness: "Rape Cop" Accuser Could "Pound It"
By
Jaya Saxena
Published Apr 26, 2011
Modified Sep 9, 2011
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By
Jaya Saxena
Published Apr 26, 2011
Modified Sep 9, 2011
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Defense lawyers in the "Rape Cop" case are still trying to prove that the accuser was not too drunk to consent because she could hold her liquor. "She could 'pound it,' so to speak, correct?" defense lawyer Joseph Tacopina asked the prosecution witness. The witness responded that "she could drink a lot and hold it together," and said that "once in a while" she would drink five Red Bull vodkas in an outing.
Officer Kenneth Moreno is accused of raping the victim in her East Village apartment in 2008 when he was dispatched to help her out of a cab, and his partner, Officer Franklin Mata, is accused of being a lookout. The trial, now in its fourth week of testimony, has involved references to venus flytraps, Vin Diesel and window blinds.
In a taped conversation Moreno admitted to the woman that he was wearing a condom, however he also repeatedly claimed that nothing happened. Moreno explained, "It turned from us trying to help you, to getting really crazy ok? Alright?" However, semen and hair collected from the victim's bed didn't match the DNA of the two accused cops, but a criminalist said it was possible not to leave either if one was wearing a condom and not shedding hairs at the time.
Update (9/9/11): Gothamist has published a long-form feature about the Rape Cop case, written by one of the jurors. It takes you behind the scenes during their deliberations, and explains how they came to their controversial verdict. Buy it today as a PDF or on Kindle.
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kenneth moreno
pound it
rape cop
rape cop trial
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