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twitterJury convicts man in assault on 13-year-old girl
Published Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009 | 1:37 p.m.
Updated Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009 | 9:14 p.m.
Edward Adams
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A 26-year-old man is looking at life behind bars after being convicted on multiple felony counts tied to the kidnapping and sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl two years ago.
Edward Adams was found guilty of one count of first-degree kidnapping, one count of battery with intent to commit a crime, one count of open and gross lewdness and seven counts of sexual assault. He was found not guilty on two other counts of sexual assault.
Deliberations took only about an hour. On most of the 12 charges he was facing, the jury had an option to find him guilty of using a deadly weapon in the crime but they did not. The victim and other witnesses testified that they believed Adams had a gun but never physically saw one.
“This was the appropriate verdict for a strange man picking up a girl on the street,” said prosecutor Richard Scow. “This sort of crime cannot be tolerated.”
The victim, now 15, testified Tuesday about what happened to her on the afternoon of Dec. 14, 2007, in a vacant apartment in northwest Las Vegas, near Buffalo Drive and Charleston Boulevard.
On that December afternoon, the girl had plans with a friend after school. But when her plans fell through, she started to walk home alone.
At about 2:30 p.m., she encountered Adams, who was in a public area near a local junior high school.
He approached her from behind, grabbed her and said, “Don’t scream, don’t run, I have a gun,” she testified.
He then forced her to walk with him about a mile to the abandoned apartment, where he assaulted the girl.
Sentencing is set for Jan. 13 in front of District Court Judge David Barker. The maximum sentence on the sexual assault charges is life in prison, and the judge could impose those sentences consecutively.
The girl’s family expressed relief after leaving the courtroom.
“We are overjoyed,” the girl’s father said. “Now we can get on with our lives.”
The family said they were grateful to the 12 jurors who found Adams guilty. They also said the verdicts were a clear indication that the defense’s claim that the sex acts were consensual didn’t hold water.
“He didn’t fool anyone,” one of her relatives, who had been present throughout the three-day trial, said. “At least we have one predator off the streets forever.”
Adams’ attorney, deputy public defender Jeffrey Maningo, declined to offer comment Wednesday evening but noted that an appeals process was mandatory in cases like these.
In closing arguments, Maningo honed in on reasonable doubt and again said that the sex acts between the victim and his client were consensual.
“This case is about bad decisions, not about bad people,” Maningo said. “(The victim) told a story about what she wants to believe happened … She wants to believe it was forced. It’s easier to believe it was forced. If you think about something long enough and hard enough, it’s easier to believe it’s true.”
Maningo had asked the jury to find him guilty of statutory sexual seduction, a lesser charge than sexual assault, because he claimed the sex acts were consensual and said the girl willingly went with Adams to the vacant apartment.
In Nevada, multiple acts in a single criminal encounter can be charged separately and corroboration of testimony of sexual assault victims isn’t necessary for a conviction.
In Scow’s closing argument, he hammered on Adams for what he called taking away a young girl’s innocence.
“Hold him responsible for his actions, for what he did to her and the pain he caused her,” he asked the jury.
His co-counsel, Deputy District Attorney Craig Hendricks, reiterated that sentiment in his final statement before deliberations.
“How could any reasonable person believe that was a consensual sexual act?” he asked rhetorically. “There is zero evidence this was consensual. He took this child’s innocence.”
Wednesday morning, Metro Police DNA and fingerprint analysts testified about the evidence recovered at the crime scene and how it was linked to Adams.
A nurse who specializes in treating victims of sexual assault testified about the girl’s injuries. She examined the girl at University Medical Center in the evening hours after the alleged crimes took place.
Three witnesses testified Wednesday afternoon on Adams’ behalf.
When asked if her brother was prone to using violence or force, his 16-year-old sister said, “He’s like a teddy bear.” Another sister, Jamie Galloway, 22, said her brother had always been protective.
A family friend, 18-year-old Daneil Irish, said she had never seen Adams act violently.
“I’ve never seen him get outrageous with anyone,” she said. “He’s not violent. He’s not known for that.”
He has remained in the Clark County Detention Center on a combined $375,000 bond since his arrest in January 2008.
Adams didn’t take the stand.
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A thirteen year old consenting to sex with a 26 year old? Seriously? A defense attorney defending his client by saying that she consented? Not surprised. What comes around goes around. They'll get theirs.
By law, a defense attorney has an obligation to defend the client. Since this person was apparently court-appointed, they didn't have a lot of choice. Not a pretty job, but it is the law.
It only took them an hour? Must have been dinner time.
Oooh Boy ! they gonna have fun wid him in prison! He gonna be some big brute's regular sissy!! HAHA I hope he knows what they do to kiddie rapists in the big house!! Bye Bye sissy..
Thanks to the jury for a fine job.
One fact I find interesting; How does this guy, in broad daylight, get this girl to walk "about a mile" with him to an abandoned apartment without....?
The REAL SEX PREDATORS know the cops are spending all of their time checking & micromanaging the lives of Streakers & Guys that got caught peeing behind trees & 18 yo guys with 16 yo girlfriends & "SEXTING" TEENS who were convicted as sex offenders, while the REAL SEX OFFENDERS can have FREE ACCESS to your children!
That little Florida girl's, found in a dump, KILLER may have been found if the cops did not have to investigate EVERY guy labeled a sex offender for PEEING BEHIND A TREE!
FYI: A kid walking by you and sees you peeing behind a tree is called: LEWD acts committed on a child; A SEX OFFENSE.
Even though the exact same kid sees you peeing in a Sports Arena Men's Restroom urinal line-up IS NOT A SEX OFFENSE; You're just peeing.
A woman laying out on a Florida beach topless is now a convicted sex offender; the kids that saw her are all TRAUMATIZED FOR LIFE, on psychoactive meds, and in group therapy! The woman kills herself over the sex offender for life status. The kids grow up to drop out of school and all end up Crack & Meth-Heads dead or in jail/prison.
A woman laying out on a beach in France topless has hundreds of kids see her, the kids continue playing in the water, building sand castles, and having fun; not one kid is traumatized or requires meds, all kids are well adjusted and thriving.
rejecto100 : This guy IS a REAL SEX PREDATOR..
Remember this little girl had just turned 13, he grabbed her arm, told her he had a gun and he would kill her. Its easy to say what you would do, but when it happens you never know.
Hey little sister 22, how do you feel now that big brother is going away for life, DNA doesn't lie, pictures don't lie and what he did to her it not a lie. How did you feel sitting there listening and knowing what your TeddyBear brother did. I hope those tears were for the her and not for him.
When are ALL "SEX OFFENDERS" actually going to be SEX OFFENDERS?
All resources MUST BE DIRECTED at REAL SEX PREDATORS.
A 16 yo girl's 19 yo boyfriend comes from the "Wrong-Side-0f-the-Tracks".....Parents Demand RAPE CONVICTION & PRISON & SEX OFFENDER STATUS FOR LIFE.
A 16 yo girl's 19 yo boyfriend comes from the Prominent Medical Family in town, with a solid future in medicine....Parents "They were made for each other" and mother is already planner their wedding!
People KNEW Mr. Adams was a SICKO and nothing was done!
You're going to jail and will become Mona darling
26? GTF Atta Here, He looks 46.
Sad truth is that there are many released sexual predictors living in LV, around our schools, around our kids. These sick MF's can't be reformed. Why are they sent free to prey again upon our kids? I say give the convicted predictor a choice once found guilty. They can take a bullet in the head and save themselves a life in prison or they can take what's behind door #2, life in prison with hard labor, not TV, no creature comforts; as close to torture as legally possible. Then and maybe then they would think twice about hurting a child.
Thats what i was thinking sergio, dude must have started going bald in jr. high.
why do they let sexual predictors out of jail just to keep track of them in hopes they will not do it again?
I like what you said Sergio, and i agree but let me assure you that Child Crimes are even against Prison (convicts) code, he will not be welcomed and comfy at all in prison, he will be in Protective custody and locked down with a Stab on site jacket once he walks the yard, I promise you this, even convicts hate child crimes.. You can be sure of that...We need to make room for these Child criminals in our prisons give them hard sentences becasue they are NOT reformable it is proven they aren't 70% re-offend..We all agree that child offenses even if no-life is taken (physically) a life is taken (emotionally)...5-10 years with good time means 3 or less, these are the sick of the sick and we need to change the laws to keep them with Bubba indefinatly...We need to write our legislatures and demand justice for these children...13 years old is still a baby and I pray that this girl finds the strength to overcome this, We really need to fight harder for our children..The news is riddled with Child crimes here, Florida, missouri all over it is getting to the point where the weirdo's think this is there world and there right to hurt our children... Any crime agaist a child is intentional, ANY crime...