In May 2011, Kenneth Moreno and Franklin Mata (pictured above), former New York police officers, were acquitted of charges that they raped an intoxicated woman, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, on December 7, 2008. The men were found not guilty on all charges except official misconduct for entering Strauss-Kahn’s apartment, which resulted in their immediate termination (they had previously been suspended with pay while the trial was going on).
The officers were called when a taxi driver could not get Strauss-Kahn out of his car and into her apartment, because she was so intoxicated. The officers brought her to her apartment, and were seen on surveillance cameras re-entering the building three times. Moreno even admitted that for one of these returns to her building, he invented an excuse by calling 911 and falsely reporting a homeless man sleeping in a nearby building, so that he could return!
Strauss-Kahn insisted that although she blacked out much of the night, she had vivid memories of police radios, Velcro tearing open, her tights being rolled down, and being penetrated while she lay face down on her bed.
The officers continuously insisted that no rape occurred, although Moreno admitted to kissing her on the forehead, and cuddling in her bed with her while she wore nothing but a bra. There was no DNA evidence found that showed a sexual act had occurred. Even if they did not have sex with her, one of the officers admitted to cuddling with her almost naked…. How is that okay??
Also, a secretly recorded conversation between Strauss-Kahn and Officer Moreno revealed him telling her that he wore a condom, although he denied having sex with her…..… ? Other statements in the conversation would also lead a reasonable person to believe that he had sex with her.
Officer Mata was accused by the prosecution of being a lookout while Moreno had sex with Strauss-Kahn. His defense to this was that he was sleeping in the living room. How is that a legitimate excuse? Why would an on-duty officer take a break to sleep in an intoxicated woman’s apartment? Really??
The main reason the officers were acquitted of the rape charge was because Strauss-Kahn’s testimony was discredited, since she was so drunk.
Rape is one of the least reported crimes. Many women are afraid to speak out after their rape, for fear of the responsibility being placed on them, which is exactly what the court did to Strauss-Kahn. What is this going to do for the next intoxicated woman who gets raped and is afraid to come forth because the blame will be placed on her?
The prosecutors of the case argued that Strauss-Kahn was so drunk that the officers should have called an ambulance, but the defense argued that she was still walking and talking. If she was walking and talking fine, why were the officers called in the first place to help her up to her apartment???
When the trial was over, Moreno was quoted saying, “I’m glad it’s over. It’s a lesson and a win.” A reporter asked what he meant by a “lesson,” which was when his lawyer cut him off and said, “Well, we’ll just leave it at that.”
This case absolutely disgusts me. Even if the former officers did not have sex with Strauss-Kahn, they completely overstepped their boundaries, and Moreno even admitted to kissing her, snuggling with her almost naked, and wearing a condom. How the court found these men not guilty of rape is beyond me.
Based on this video, I’d say I’m not the only one who was upset at the outcome of this trial:
Sources:
Everything else on what may or may not have happened with this case aside, the facts of the testimonies of Moreno and Mata alone pose troublesome. Why would Moreno ever have gotten in to bed with this woman and cuddled with her? Nothing about that is justifiable in any way. Furthermore he Moreno also admitted to filing a false report with the 911 dispatcher. Mata's statement has himself sleeping in the woman's living room...while he is on duty. These two are either innocent of the rape charges and simply horrible police officers, or guilty of the rape charges and horrible at making excuses.
ReplyDeleteI couldnt not agree more with Jared. These 2 are either innocent of the rape charges and terrible police officers, or they are guilty and terrible police officers. In no way were any of those actions, excuses or not, acceptable. Its a shame that some people get into a position of power like that and then abuse it. Its no wonder why so many people dont trust police officers when instances like this occur. They are very unprofessional and deserved far more punishment than just being dismissed from the department.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with everyone on this. There is absolutely no reason for either one of the officers to have been in that woman's bedroom. I would also have to agree that if the woman was so intoxicated that she had to be helped into the house that they should have called an ambulance. The officer admitting that he cuddle with her while she was partially nude should have been enough to get a conviction other than misconduct.
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