Defense Presents Case In Carrier Trial
Joshua Carrier’s defense attorneys are quickly presenting their case in his child sex abuse trial.
After calling Carrier’s father to the stand Friday, the defense called four more witnesses Monday and said one additional witness would testify Tuesday morning.
The court will find out Tuesday whether Carrier will take the stand. Carrier is a former Colorado Springs police officer accused of abusing 22 boys at Horace Mann Middle School during his time there as a school resource officer and volunteer coach. He’s facing life in prison if convicted.
On Monday, three doctors testified about child pornography, false allegations and child sex abuse cases, speaking about themes the defense has emphasized throughout the trial.
Dr. Marty Klein, a certified sex therapist, told the court that most people who consume erotic imagery “don’t go out and act in response to that.” He went on to say that people often take an interest in sexual taboos so they can explore without acting on those taboos.
The defense had Klein review some of the images of children and erotic short stories involving kids found on Carrier’s computer.
“Would you say, if you truly care about children, you wouldn’t look at these?” Carrier’s attorney Chris Decker asked Klein.
Klein replied, “I wouldn’t say that at all.”
Next, the defense called Dr. Prabha Unnithan, a Colorado State University sociology professor, who discussed a phenomenon called a ‘moral panic,’ which can cause people to be falsely accused.
He testified that some well-known moral panics include the Salem witch trials and World War II Japanese internment camps. Unnithan talked about how perceived fear can spark a moral panic, how people can become scapegoats and how people and the media can help spread the fear. He said investigators should always be aware and consider instances of moral panic when dealing with cases that have many accusers.
The next witness, forensic psychologist Dr. Philip Esplin, testified about how different factors can impact an alleged victim’s memory of an event. He said that if a memory isn’t distinct or a person wasn’t paying close attention at the time, there is a tendency to “fill in the gaps.” Esplin said other people’s accounts and statements can impact how a witness does that.
The defense asked Esplin specifically about the potential impacts of a person of high status relaying their own thoughts and opinions about a situation to a child witness, a reference to a Colorado Springs police forensic interviewer who told two of Carrier’s alleged victims that what Carrier did to them was wrong and criminal.
That interviewer, Kelly Schiffelbein, defended her actions saying she only made the statements after her interviews with the kids were completed.
“I think she varied from what would be a wise procedure,” Esplin said of Schiffelbein. “I think she drifted away from an investigative role.”
Esplin said that during the investigative stage of a case, an interviewer should remain neutral and not impose their own opinions. He said doing so could bias a witness.
The final defense witness Monday was a Colorado Springs human resources manager who spoke about several commendations Carrier received during his time as a police officer.
Closing arguments in the trial are expected Tuesday or Wednesday.
