LIVINGSTON COUNTY — After asserting his innocence in a Livingston County courtroom, a Livingston County man’s fate regarding sexual charges is the hands of a jury.
Frederick Symonds Jr., 45, charged with 4 different sexually related counts, testified Wednesday that he never touched or talked to the victim, a minor at the time of the alleged offenses, in a sexual manner. Instead, he said, another family member, who has since pled guilty to charges, was the one guilty of the sex acts.
“If I could go back in time we would be sitting here on a whole ‘nother case,” said Symonds, referring to the other family member who previously pled guilty to similar charges. “It would be for murder.”
Symonds was the first family member to be criminally charged with sex acts against the victim, but according to his courtroom testimony he and other family members discovered that the victim was being molested months earlier and no one took the matter to law enforcement officials. It wasn’t until the victim shared what was happening with her boyfriend that law enforcement official became involved.
According to Symonds testimony, after the other family member was caught in the act of molesting the victim, Symonds removed him from the scene and took him to a local gas station where he confessed to molesting the victim for nearly two years. Symonds told the jury that he did not report the person to police because he didn’t want the family to loose their ‘bread maker’ and they were in desperate need of money.
During closing arguments his defense Attorney, Marcea Clark Tetamore, described the case once again as a matter of “he said, she said,” and that from the beginning her client has vehemently denied all of the allegations.
“He did what he could, when he could, and he stepped back,” said Tetamore during closing arguments. “He probably should have done more but didn’t.”
During cross examination by D.A. Greg Mccaffrey, Symonds claimed that the first time he told any authorities about what was happening with the other family member violating the girl was when he was being transported to the Livingston County Jail, and the Jail Deputy never reported his allegations.
“Who is motivated in this case?” asked D.A. McCaffrey to the jurors in his closing arguments. “The victim has absolutely no motivation to lie. What girl wants to come here in front of strangers and detail these sexual experiences?”
In closing arguments McCaffrey continued to hammer at the defense theory that Symonds was a more credible witness than the victim.
“The victim has absolutely no motivation for coming into court and being untruthful.” said McCaffrey. “She is courageous and I am incredibly proud of her.”
NOTE: Jury sent home for the night and will resume deliberations tomorrow at 9 a.m.