Boise, Idaho — A lady who reported she was raped by an Idaho lawmaker whereas serving as a legislative intern testified within the former lawmaker's trial on Wednesday, haltingly describing the moments the assault started earlier than abruptly leaving the witness stand.
"I can not do that," the lady mentioned, rapidly strolling out of the courtroom.
The Related Press usually doesn't establish individuals who say they've been sexually assaulted, and has referred to the lady on this case as "Jane Doe" at her request.
Doe was a 19-year-old intern when she advised her supervisors that then-Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger, a Republican from Lewiston, raped her at his Boise condo after the 2 had dinner at a restaurant.
Von Ehlinger, 38, has pleaded not responsible to felony fees of rape and sexual penetration with a international object, and maintains the 2 had consensual intercourse. He resigned from the Home of Representatives final 12 months after a legislative ethics committee really useful he be banned from the Statehouse.
Throughout testimony Wednesday afternoon, Ada County Deputy Prosecuting Legal professional Katelyn Farley requested Doe to explain an article of clothes worn by von Ehlinger that day, presumably to establish him to the jury.
"Blazer," Doe mentioned, taking lengthy seems to be across the room. When Farley requested her to explain the colour of von Ehlinger's tie, Doe answered, "I can not."
Most of Doe's solutions have been typically one or two phrases lengthy, and she or he steadily appeared towards the jury or the exit door behind the courtroom. At different occasions her gaze landed on the protection desk the place von Ehlinger sat together with his protection legal professional, Jon Cox.
Behind the attorneys, the gallery of the courtroom was full. Journalists, representatives from sufferer providers and different onlookers sat side-by-side. One of many benches was reserved for a lady with a service canine - the animals are generally used to offer a supportive presence for witnesses who're requested to present troublesome testimony.
Doe's voice was quiet, and Cox repeatedly interrupted her solutions to say that he could not hear her. That prompted the decide to repeatedly ask Doe to scoot nearer to the microphone, and lean in.
"I would like you to take a look at me," Farley advised Doe, once more.
"I can not," she responded, wanting once more towards the rear exit door.
In response to Farley's questions, Doe mentioned she ate at a restaurant with von Ehlinger and that afterward he drove her to his condo in his automobile. Inside, she sat down and had cookies. "Oreos," she mentioned.
Then, she mentioned, von Ehlinger picked her up and carried her into his bed room.
"He laid me down ... he eliminated his garments ... he climbed on high of me ... in simply his boxers. White T-shirt," Doe mentioned. "He tried to place his fingers between my legs and I closed my knees."
At that, she stood up.
"I can not do that anymore," she mentioned, fleeing the courtroom.
The decide gave the prosecuting attorneys 10 minutes to search out her and see if she would return. When she didn't, Reardon advised the jurors they needed to "strike (Doe's testimony) out of your minds as if it by no means occurred," as a result of the protection couldn't cross-examine her.
It was the second day of the trial. On Tuesday, jurors heard from police detectives and the nurse who accomplished a rape examination on Doe roughly 48 hours after she mentioned the assault occurred.
The nurse testified that Doe advised her that she tried to cease von Ehlinger's sexual advances by saying she hadn't shaved, that she wasn't on contraception and that she was menstruating. Doe additionally advised her that von Ehlinger had positioned the handgun he all the time carried on a dresser close to the mattress, and that he pinned Doe in the course of the assault by climbing on high of her and kneeling on her higher arms.
The detectives and nurse additionally advised jurors that Doe reported she advised von Ehlinger "no" in the course of the assault and mentioned he was hurting her. The nurse mentioned Doe reported arm ache in the course of the examination, and that she had a swollen "goose egg" on the again of her head that she mentioned occurred when she tried to jerk her head away from von Ehlinger's crotch, hitting the wall or a headboard.
Jurors additionally heard from forensic scientists who mentioned that DNA from bodily fluids collected throughout Doe's rape examination matched von Ehlinger.
After Doe left the courtroom, the prosecutor referred to as Laura King, an affiliate prison justice professor from Boise State College who's an skilled in sexual violence victimization.
King advised jurors that victims of a sexual assault typically struggle, flee or freeze in the course of the assault, and that the hormones that set off these responses also can trigger an individual to expertise non permanent paralysis or dissociation, a psychological state the place they really feel disconnected from actuality.
Those self same physiological responses together with dissociation also can occur when sexual assault survivors describe the assault, King mentioned. Such conduct could seem unusual, however it's a pure response to an assault, she mentioned.
Cox requested King whether or not she knew something about von Ehlinger's case. King mentioned she didn't.
"You discuss particularly about these situations - struggle, flight, freeze, dissociative occasions, tonic immobility - however you haven't any thought as a result of you haven't any details about this case particularly, proper?" Cox requested King.
King agreed, saying she was speaking usually concerning the analysis on sexual assault victims.
After King's testimony, Farley mentioned the prosecution's case was over.
Cox mentioned he would let the decide know on Thursday morning if von Ehlinger will testify in his personal protection.
If convicted, von Ehlinger might face a most penalty of life in jail on every cost.