Quote:
Originally Posted by Titan2
What I recall though is her trying to leave and one of the guys saying 'don't let her leave'. This changes the dynamic and then she my have reverted to the 'porn star' to keep them happy until it was safe to go. To be clear I am speculating on what she said. If this is a real strategy, and I have no reason to doubt it is, she may have appeared to consent to everything that happened, when in reality she was frightened for her life and saying whatever she thought would keep her safe. However, where does this leave the young dumb guys? They see themselves in a scenario where she appears to be consenting, so participate. What a conundrum.
|
I think a lot of it is going to come down to how reliable her testimony is. Some of the things she said in her testimony weren't mentioned or were changed from the three statements she made previously over the past 7 years. There is also the selective memory aspect where she said she was too out of it to recall certain things that don't help prove her accusations, some of which were shown on video and backed up by other witnesses, but meanwhile still being able to vividly recall other things that may help get a conviction (like trying to leave the room and being guided back in).
She also seemed, by her own testimony, prepared to stay after everything happened and admitted to thinking McLeod was a "jerk" for basically telling her to leave. After everything that happened, there was no guarantee that more guys weren't going to pop in, so it seems like the rational thing would be to leave the first chance you had especially if you had already tried to leave and couldn't.
I am not calling her a liar because I know memory can work in weird and unpredictable ways, and maybe they will be calling experts to testify that can bring light to it, but as of right now with what's been presented, I would have a hard time relying on it if I was a juror. Recalling previously forgotten things well into the future is a real phenomenon, especially when alcohol is involved or the experience is traumatic, but it's a hard thing to prove. False memories are also a real thing that can happen over time and this applies to the accused as well.