Redwood City - the Trial of William Ayres, Child Psychiatrist accused of sexual molestation of young boys ended and the jury is now in Day Three of their deliberations. Check out this website for more comprehensive coverage of this case: http://williamayreswatch.blogspot.com/
I took some time to watch the trial over a 3 or 4 day period including Ayres' own testimony. He didn't do much to help his own cause with his arrogance and pompous attitude. I remember one moment where he told the Prosecutor how you can't believe everything a child tells you, and the Prosecutor retorted how one can't believe what anyone tells you. Ayres' response to that? Something of the sort of how she can believe what she wants as if he is insulted that someone would doubt such an Authority as himself.
In the beginning of his testimony, he told the jury how because of his prostate cancer treatment, etc., he couldn't remember things very well. I swore I heard a collective, "bullshit" from everyone in the courtroom. Anyways, he soon proved to all that he had selective memory coincidentally enough.
If Ayres wasn't so sleazy, I would have been almost embarrassed for him when he frequently self-centeredly regaled the court with his stories. Only a couple of his misguided supporters drank that kool-aid.
The Defense Attorney, Weinberg, in closing arguments attempted to con the jury into thinking that Ayres was some hotshot, ahead of the times doctor which looked to have fallen on deaf ears. Then he tried to fool the jury into thinking that out of 600 patients, there were only a few complaints and then started to trash each of the witnesses that testified. Word is that there are a lot more victims out there who did not want to come forward.
The Prosecutor, McKowan did a workmanlike job and made many good points but there was one visitor in the courtroom, a female attorney, who was not impressed with the line of questioning but gave no specifics. So, who knows. McKowan did win the jury over if only because Weinberg lost them with his own gruff attitude and demeanor which could be interpreted as being condescending. But I can't completely fault him having to go from defending Phil Spector to William Ayres; I'd be a bit over the edge too.
Again, I commend Victoria Balfour and other supporters who have stuck it out through this whole process. I can't even imagine what they went through.
Will Ayres be bunking with Bubba next week?
Thursday, July 16, 2009
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4 comments:
Hi Lantern08,
Thanks for your coverage!
There were indeed more victims than the those who testified. A total of somewhere around 40 actually reported to the police, although most of them were out of statute. Of those out of statute, the court only allowed 4 to testify, but many of us were willing and/or actively seeking to take the stand to speak out. We know of others who have claimed to be victims, or who know victims, but have not gone to the police.
I think the number is fairly high, with a range from initial attempts at abuse, to some more extreme levels. The in-statute victim who dropped out at the last minute, I think had a more extreme case (10 counts were his alone...), and must have been under crushing stress.
Those of us in our 40s have been having a tough time, I simply can't imagine having the strength to have spoken out when I was in my 20s.
Hi Lantern08
As you probably know by now, it could very well be a hung jury, thanks to three young women who are having trouble believing the victims.
They clearly have no life experience or understanding that men historically have terrible trouble coming forward to say they were molested.
Jury is still deliberating. Maybe that's a good sign.
Stay tuned.
Doron Weinberg was caught spreading a fabrication about the jury deliberations to a San Francisco Chronicle reporter. He said that he heard a juror tell the judge that the jury was "8-4 for acquittal."
www.williamayreswatch.blogspot.com did some factchecking and as a result, the Chronicle retracted Weinberg's information
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