Jurors see tape of sex involving man, girl

Erica D. Johnson

Friday, Jan. 24, 2003 | 9:11 a.m.

On the first day of testimony Thursday in the trial of Steven Newberg, jurors watched a videotape that prosecutors claim shows the Las Vegas man raping a 14-year-old relative.

The videotape, which lasted about 30 minutes, shows Newberg having sex with the alleged victim on two separate occasions.

Jurors showed little emotion as they watched the taped encounter in open court.

Chief Deputy District Attorneys Lisa Luzaich and Doug Herndon played the tape shortly after opening arguments before District Judge Michael Cherry.

Luzaich said the alleged victim was visiting Newberg from Los Angeles in the summer of 2000 when the incident occurred. The girl is expected to testify, Luzaich said.

In her opening statement, Luzaich outlined what jurors would see on the videotape.

"We're going to show that she didn't want to have sex with him," she said. "But he forced it and he kept it going. You hear her saying, 'No Steven, no Steven,' over and over and over. You hear her saying, 'Stop, it hurts,' then cry out in pain."

At one point Luzaich said, Newberg tells the girl he will buy her tickets to an 'N Sync concert if she agrees to have sex.

Newberg, 37, faces 13 felony counts, which include kidnapping, sexual assault, using a minor in producing pornography and sexual assault of a minor. He faces 20 years to life in prison.

Prosecutors say police seized hundreds of hours of homemade and commercial pornographic videotapes from Newberg's home and pickup truck, which allegedly show dozens of prostitutes being sexually assaulted by Newberg.

The trial before Cherry concerns only the 14-year-old girl. A second trial involving another victim is expected to take place later this year.

But Newberg's attorneys, Deputy Public Defenders Stacy Roundtree and Steve Immerman, maintain sex between Newberg and the alleged victim was consensual.

Roundtree told jurors that they while they will probably find Newberg's sexual interests "perverted, repulsive and distasteful to say the least," he is not a rapist.

"Steven Newberg is not a model citizen," she said. "He's not a man of great moral character. But he did not break any sexual assault laws."

The girl told detectives she had broken a promise to herself by having sex with Newberg, Roundtree said.

"Punish (Newberg) for the laws he broke," she said. "Don't punish him for the promise she broke."

Luzaich also read jurors transcripts of taped phone conversations Newberg made from jail, allegedly asking family members to pressure the girl not to testify.