whale
Junior Member
Well, I got called for jury duty for the first time ever and ended up getting selected to be on a jury for a criminal trial. What a trial to get picked for.....
Norwich man guilty of letting friend tape sex act
Jan 17, 2008 @ 03:51 AM
By GREG SMITH
Norwich Bulletin
Norwich, Conn. -
A Norwich man who allowed a friend to use a cell phone to record a 10-second video of him having sex with his girlfriend was convicted by a jury Wednesday of being an accessory to voyeurism.
Russell Sheppard, 22, faces up to five years in prison for the felony conviction. He is scheduled to be sentenced March 25 in Norwich Superior Count.
The sex act between Sheppard and his then-girlfriend, Nicole Crouse, was captured in 2004 on the cell phone of Sheppard's friend, Joseph Peters.
"I'm very disappointed," defense attorney Richard Perry said.
Perry said the recording was a spontaneous act on Peters' part, and Sheppard had no idea the video was being made.
Sheppard said Wednesday evening he "was a victim," and he was hoping his conviction would be appealed.
But the police who analyzed the video said Sheppard "is visibly smiling at the camera and it appears he knows he is being recorded." Prosecutor Vincent Dooley played the video for jurors and said it was obvious Sheppard was looking at the camera.
Crouse said she didn't know about the recording until after the incident, and she later was told it had been erased. Her relationship with Sheppard ended in 2005.
The sex video, however, surfaced again in May 2005, with Russell and Peters showing it off at a party, according to testimony from Darryl Marcaurele and Tommy Otero.
Crouse said she believes Sheppard deserves to be punished.
"He definitely knew what was going on. They both did," Crouse said. "He lied about the whole thing in court to save himself."
Peters was initially charged by police with voyeurism and disseminating voyeuristic material. He pleaded no contest last year to one count of voyeurism and received a suspended sentence with three years of probation.
Sheppard accepted no plea agreement.
"We thought we had a good case. That's why we took it to trial," said Sheppard's mother, Robyn Orbin. "It was his supposed friend sneaking upstairs. It wasn't my son's phone. It doesn't make any sense to me."
Peters, who at one time lived in Groton, could not be found to testify at Sheppard's trial, said Perry.
Perry said he is considering a motion for a new trial if he can find Peters.
Norwich man guilty of letting friend tape sex act
Jan 17, 2008 @ 03:51 AM
By GREG SMITH
Norwich Bulletin
Norwich, Conn. -
A Norwich man who allowed a friend to use a cell phone to record a 10-second video of him having sex with his girlfriend was convicted by a jury Wednesday of being an accessory to voyeurism.
Russell Sheppard, 22, faces up to five years in prison for the felony conviction. He is scheduled to be sentenced March 25 in Norwich Superior Count.
The sex act between Sheppard and his then-girlfriend, Nicole Crouse, was captured in 2004 on the cell phone of Sheppard's friend, Joseph Peters.
"I'm very disappointed," defense attorney Richard Perry said.
Perry said the recording was a spontaneous act on Peters' part, and Sheppard had no idea the video was being made.
Sheppard said Wednesday evening he "was a victim," and he was hoping his conviction would be appealed.
But the police who analyzed the video said Sheppard "is visibly smiling at the camera and it appears he knows he is being recorded." Prosecutor Vincent Dooley played the video for jurors and said it was obvious Sheppard was looking at the camera.
Crouse said she didn't know about the recording until after the incident, and she later was told it had been erased. Her relationship with Sheppard ended in 2005.
The sex video, however, surfaced again in May 2005, with Russell and Peters showing it off at a party, according to testimony from Darryl Marcaurele and Tommy Otero.
Crouse said she believes Sheppard deserves to be punished.
"He definitely knew what was going on. They both did," Crouse said. "He lied about the whole thing in court to save himself."
Peters was initially charged by police with voyeurism and disseminating voyeuristic material. He pleaded no contest last year to one count of voyeurism and received a suspended sentence with three years of probation.
Sheppard accepted no plea agreement.
"We thought we had a good case. That's why we took it to trial," said Sheppard's mother, Robyn Orbin. "It was his supposed friend sneaking upstairs. It wasn't my son's phone. It doesn't make any sense to me."
Peters, who at one time lived in Groton, could not be found to testify at Sheppard's trial, said Perry.
Perry said he is considering a motion for a new trial if he can find Peters.
