By: Anjo Chu
Although most are familiar with the recent announcement of Ghislaine Maxwell’s conviction, many fail to follow the story amidst all the chaos. Here are some of the key moments regarding her conviction.
During Maxwell’s trial, the prosecution argued that many fail to see her as a predator and a sexual abuser because of her image of sophistication, emphasizing that she uses her deep pockets to disguise the allegations of sexual misconduct.
Court sketch of Maxwell during a victim’s testimony (Artist: Jane Rosenberg)
“She was a sophisticated predator who preyed on vulnerable young girls, manipulated them, and served them up to be sexually abused”
This was the closing statement the prosecution left us with and was given minutes after this victim’s testimony (one in sketch).
Maxwell’s team of lawyers had a unique approach against the prosecution, their entire argument was solely to prove the other to be incompetent. Mainly stating that they had insufficient evidence and that nothing they presented was tangible. Maxwell’s lawyers called an expert witness onto the stand. A memory expert testified and stated, “Memory doesn't work like a recording device, we actually construct our memories while we retrieve memories”
Lawyers of Maxwell used this testimony and set for the jury to doubt themselves on their own decisions about the case. Her lawyers also brought in FBI agents and former Epstein employees to try and persistently point out the inconsistencies in the victims’ testimonies regarding her part in this.
Now what?
Just short of 2 weeks ago, Maxwell has been found guilty of 5 out of the 6 charges she was accused of and now faces the threat of up to 65 years in prison. The general consensus seems to be the unanimous agreement that she deserves more time in prison. The majority believe that although she lost relations with many of her former socialite friends, she still remains influential in the world, making many speculate whether her sentence was heavy enough.
Maxwell’s trial has made us rethink the age-old question of whether these multi-millionaires will ever pay for what they did in the court of law. We have seen numerous conspiracy theories surrounding the death of Epstein, would we see the same with Maxwell? The case is not over and as of January 20th, Maxwell has requested a retrial as she believed there were mishandlings with one juror. Where will this trial take us? Will she receive a longer sentence due to media pressure? All we can do for the time being is wait for the updates of her trial, and hope that justice will be served.
Sources:
Comments