The prosecutor concluded her closing argument in the William Kennedy Smith rape trial Wednesday, saying the encouter between Smith and his accuser "violated her body and her rights."
As the highly publicized trial neared the jury deliberations stage, prosecutor Moira Lasch thanked jurors for their participation and told them, "What you heard during the course of this trial was not an act of love, not an act of sex. It was an act of violence . . . the act of a rapist."She also said the woman came forward "to tell the truth" because she believed in the court system and felt it was morally the right thing to do. "She has demonstrated she has incredible fortitude, moral strength and courage."
Closing defense arguments were to follow Lasch's presentation; the case could go to the jury later Wednesday.
Lasch read to jurors the Florida law of consent that says all sexual contact must involve "intelligent, knowing and voluntary consent."
Moments earlier, Circuit Judge Mary Lupo denied a motion by Smith's lawyer for a judgment of acquittal that was sought on the grounds that the prosecution had not proved its case. The judge also warned spectators to be quiet during the arguments.
"There will be no sighing, gasping, audible responses or anything else in the presence of the jury," Lupo said.
On Tuesday, Smith painted his accuser as a sexually voracious woman who enticed him into sex twice within a half hour outside his family's oceanfront mansion, then accused him of rape. His version prompted sharp, sarcastic questions from Lasch.
"What are you saying, that she raped you, Mr. Smith?" she snapped.
"Absolutely not!" Smith said.
The defense twice demanded a mistrial, arguing that Lasch's hostile questioning had moved outside legal limits. The judge scolded the prosecutor and told her if she asked another impermissible question, "You will not get away with it."
AP-DS-12-11-91 1153EST