Desmond James: Accused Rapist Shows His Penis In Court To Prove His Innocence
Desmond James had an unusual way to beat the rap on his rape charge — pulling out his penis in court to prove he wasn’t the right man.
The 26-year-old James had been accused of sexual assault in a 2012 incident. The accuser claimed she was raped by a black man whose penis was a different shade than the rest of his body, so the New York Post noted that James disrobed and exposed himself to prove that he couldn’t have been the culprit.
The moment was a shock to everyone in the courtroom, including members of the jury. As the New York Post reported, the judge had not warned the jury that James was about to drop his pants, and many people in the courtroom reportedly covered their eyes during the revealing moment.
While it was a surprise to the jury, court employees reportedly knew that James was going to expose himself to the courtroom filled with people during that segment of the trial.
The strange gambit worked, and this week James was cleared on three counts of sexual assault. Desmond James’s acquittal has now attracted nationwide attention, with coverage from a number of news outlets that focused on the sensational nature of his defense strategy.
His lawyer even had a quip prepared for the acquittal that would make Johnny Cochran proud.
“If it’s not the light one, it’s not the right one,” Todd Bussert told The New York Post after his client beat the rap.
But Bussert told the New Haven Register that he and James were not comfortable with the strange strategy, though they knew it was the only way to ensure he would be found not guilty.
“It became clear the only option we had was to just have him stand up and show this to the jury,” Bussert said. “It was not something he wanted to do. It was humiliating, to have an African American stand up in court and show himself. It had racial issues. But he understood why we made the request. It allowed the jury to see the evidence.”
James had initially been picked out of a lineup by the victim, who claimed she was raped by a stranger while walking home one night.
Accused Rapist Shows Penis In Court To Prove His Innocence #Connecticut #CrimeNews https://t.co/I7UDKMskcj pic.twitter.com/JLZ9taVfKM
— Investigation Discovery (@DiscoveryID) May 25, 2018
While he was able to beat the charge, it wasn’t exactly the happiest ending for Desmond James. He has already been sentenced to 65 years in prison for breaking into a home and raping a 10-year-old girl, the New York Post noted.
