A woman testified Tuesday in Judge Don Poole’s court that Anthony LeBron Vance - who was already on the Sex Offender Registry - raped her in bushes near her house.
Prosecutors said Vance, 52, approached the victim when she got off the bus stop close to her residence. Vance then offered her drugs and sex, which she declined.
Vance then asked the victim to tell him where a close by bus stop was. She pointed him in the direction of one, and went on her way. Vance followed her, and after the victim passed her house, Vance allegedly raped her behind some bushes near her apartment, the jury was told.
According to previous testimony, the Jan. 3, 2018, assault briefly ceased while some cars drove by on the road, and then stopped permanently when a neighbor in the duplex went outside to start their car.
“She is going to testify today, and she’s going to tell you what happened,” said prosecutor Miriam Johnson, “We ask that you look at the evidence, and find him guilty of rape.”
Mike Acuff, one of Vance’s two defense attorneys, had a very different message for the jury, who had been pared down in the previous hours.
“You need to listen to things that don’t match up. Listen to the consistency of her statements. Listen for inconsistencies that just don’t make sense,” said Vance’s attorney, “Listen, and you won’t be able to find him guilty without a reasonable doubt.”
The woman testified, “It happened so quick. He grabbed me, and I screamed, and then he hit me. She told prosecutor Andrew Croyle, “He forced me on the ground and then he did his business. And he said, ‘(Expletive), if you scream, I’ll kill you and I’ll kill your family.’”
When prosecutor Coyle asked the victim if she remembered what Vance looked like during the assault, she had a very strong response to that question.
“I’ll never forget that face. I’ll never forget the scar on his face, and I’ll never forget what he was wearing.”
Attorney Acuff emphasized the inconsistencies in the victim’s three accounts. He continuously asked her to recall the positioning between Vance and her, and meticulously made note of each difference in her story.
“So you’re saying he was right behind you,” asked Mr. Acuff, “In the statement to the officer, you said you were going to walk behind him?”
The defense attorney also asked the victim why the assault stopped. According to previous testimony, the reason was muddled and unclear.
“Isn’t it fair to say you’ve described two reasons as to why this event stopped,” asked Mr. Acuff. According to one story, the assault stopped when the neighbor came outside. In another, the rape stopped after Vance saw the victim’s badge, which showed she was not the person “Vance’s gang” wanted him to kill.
To end the first day of the trial, prosecutor Coyle had the victim clarify a previous moment. Before a short recess, Mr. Acuff had asked the victim why she didn’t just go home, if she was so close to her apartment. Mr. Acuff then asked if she lived with anyone else, a question the victim was very hesitant to answer.
“I did not want that person to know where I stay at, and who stays with me,” said the victim.
The trial will continue Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Courts Building.