There is an interesting, and heartbreaking, case that has been catching some attention in the media in the Twin Cities these past couple of weeks, but I haven't seen any discussion of it here.
Here are the apparent facts.
A girl was raped at age 13 by a 32 year old man who was staying with her family. It took her a couple of years, but eventually she reported it and the man was charged. At the beginning of this year, his trial began.
During the middle of about two hours of testimony by the girl about this rape, a victims rights advocate slipped a note to the prosecuting attorney that said "venue?" This note was apparently a reminder to the prosecutor to elicit testimony that the rape occurred in Hennepin County, where the defendant was being tried.
The judge asked the prosecutor what the note said, apparently because the judge had some sort of order in place dealing with witness sequestration, or perhaps a gag order.
In any event, here is where the story gets strange. The prosecutor straight up lied to the judge. She told the judge that the note just was just a reminder on the correct pronunciation of a name that was being used. I have no idea why the prosecutor lied about this, but she also had the victims rights advocate forge a new note consistent with what the prosecutor told the judge.
Somehow, the lie was found out. At that point, the Hennepin County Attorney, newly elected to office, decided to dismiss the charges based upon the misconduct of the prosecutor. The defendant walked.
Now the victim is left sitting there thinking W T F?
