The jury in the Michael Rodrigues rape trial has entered into
deliberations. Deputy District Attorney Patrick Palacios finished
his closing rebuttal shortly before noon, when jurors entered the
jury room to hash over a decision.
The jury in the Michael Rodrigues rape trial has entered into deliberations.
Deputy District Attorney Patrick Palacios finished his closing rebuttal shortly before noon, when jurors entered the jury room to hash over a decision.
Rodrigues is accused of raping four women between 1999 and 2007, when a grand jury indicted him on three of the charges. The district attorney’s office added a fourth accuser to the case in the fall of 2008.
Jurors started deliberating after closing statements. Those arguments included the prosecution going through testimony from the four suspected witnesses, along with other character witnesses, in making a case alleging Rodrigues is a “serial rapist” who follows a similar pattern in how he pursues victims.
The defense focused on portraying the witnesses as lacking credibility and the investigation as insufficient. Cantu contended investigators didn’t take necessary steps to corroborate witness statements, while he questioned their testimony, particularly dates provided.
If Rodrigues is convicted, he could face life in prison.
Editor’s note: In an attempt to best portray the tenor of the Michael Rodrigues rape trial, the Free Lance is posting a series of videos on closing statements, which wrapped up this morning. In this first part, see the beginning of both prosecutor Patrick Palacios and defense attorney Art Cantu’s final arguments.
