After an nearly two week trial, a federal jury has discovered Josh Duggar responsible of downloading and possessing little one pornography. He will likely be sentenced at a later date.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The prosecution and protection gave their closing arguments Wednesday, Dec. 8 within the Josh Duggar little one pornography trial, leaving the destiny of the previous actuality star within the fingers of a 12 particular person federal jury.
After deliberating for a day, the jury returned Thursday and located Josh Duggar responsible of downloading and possessing little one pornography. Duggar was instantly taken into custody following the choice. He’s scheduled to be sentenced on a later date.
The protection made no remark concerning the decision however attorneys for Duggar say they plan on submitting for an attraction.
United States Lawyer for Western Arkansas, Clay Fowlkes says this verdict is a milestone for the western district in Arkansas to fight little one abuse. He additionally says this reveals nobody is above the legislation.
Fowlkes mentioned over 7% of the circumstances sentenced within the yr 2020 within the Western District of Arkansas had been little one pornography and sexual abuse circumstances.
In keeping with the prosecution, Duggar will likely be sentenced on one rely of receiving little one pornography and that possession of kid pornography is a lesser offense, saying by operate of legislation he can’t be convicted on each.
Receipt of kid pornography is punishable by 5 to twenty years in jail. Possession of kid pornography depicting prepubescent youngsters has a most penalty of 20 years of imprisonment as nicely.
A federal Homeland Safety agent testified in Could that the pornographic photos depicting the sexual abuse of youngsters, together with toddlers, had been downloaded in Could 2019 by a pc at a automotive dealership that Duggar owned.
Amy King, Duggar’s cousin, took to Twitter to react to the jury’s resolution.
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar launched an announcement on the Duggar Household web site.
Jinger, Duggar, Vuolo additionally launched an announcement discussing Josh Duggar’s responsible verdict.
Each day Trial Recap
Dec. 8, 2021
Closing arguments have led to Duggar’s case. The prosecution argued if this was actually a case of “Who finished it?” as Duggar’s protection has claimed. The prosecution says the pc the place the kid porn was downloaded was in his workplace, on his automotive lot, and his passwords had been used to get round software program that alerted his spouse if he seen porn. Duggar’s protection continues to say that somebody “hacked” into Duggar’s pc, or was capable of achieve distant entry.
It is now as much as the 12 particular person jury to determine what occurs subsequent.
Throughout deliberation, jurors requested to evaluate a video from when particular brokers first arrived at Duggar’s automotive lot in 2019 to query him in regards to the alleged movies and pictures. In addition they requested for a sure calendar, however that request was denied by the choose.
After deliberating for practically 4 hours, the jury determined to adjourn and reconvene Thursday, Dec. 9, at 8:30 a.m.
Dec. 7, 2021
Duggar’s protection introduced forensic pc analyst, Michele Bush, into courtroom Tuesday, who was questioned by the prosecution.
Bush mentioned there was proof of distant entry applications on the pc, however there was no proof that these applications had been used on the times in query.
The forensic analyst mentioned that there was a risk that the information that will report if these applications had been used was deleted.
Simply earlier than 3 p.m., the protection rested their case, and the prosecution introduced counter-evidence.
The courtroom will start once more at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 8, the place closing arguments will likely be learn. After that, the case will likely be within the jury’s fingers.
Josh Duggar Trial: Protection rests case after pc forensic analyst introduced in for questioning
RELATED: Josh Duggar Trial: Closing arguments finish, case turned over to the jury
Dec. 6, 2021
Monday morning, the prosecution rested its case, and now it is as much as the protection to find out the subsequent step.
Earlier than resting, the prosecution questioned Bobbye Holt and former Arkansas Senator Jim Holt, witnesses from a earlier investigation into Josh Duggar molesting accusations, on the stand. Jim Holt attested to a dialog about downloading software program on Josh Duggar’s pc that will alert his spouse if he seen porn. Bobbye Holt said that Josh Duggar had confessed to her previously to allegedly molesting minors.
If the protection rests their case Monday, the trial may very well be turned over to the jury.
Please verify again for updates to this creating story.
Dec. 3, 2021
The jury within the case bought a novel take a look at how U.S. Federal forensic analyst James Fotrell analyzed the pc pulled from Duggar’s used automotive lot.
Duggar’s attorneys mentioned that another person may have downloaded or seen the kid pornography on the pc in query, and the prosecution argued why they consider that’s false.
The prosecution targeted on particulars surrounding Duggar’s Arvest and Amazon account passwords, saying the passwords used on these accounts matched the one additionally used to entry the kid porn discovered on the pc.
In the course of the cross-examination of Fotrell, the prosecution confirmed how a few of the pictures that Duggar took at his used automotive lot coincided with the occasions the kid porn was downloaded/seen on the pc additionally on the similar automotive lot.
The forensic analyst informed jurors how Duggar was noticed utilizing the pc in query after his reflection on the pc display screen was captured on a photograph he allegedly took. In that reflection, the analyst circled an individual’s silhouette with a hat. The prosecution introduced up {a photograph} that very same day the place Duggar was carrying a hat with the identical brand, main the analyst to consider it was Duggar.
In the course of the trial, the prosecution famous that Duggar’s pc had software program downloaded so his spouse may observe his on-line exercise. The software program sends Anna Duggar, Josh Duggar’s spouse, an accountability report on his web utilization. The prosecution has famous previously that they consider Duggar used a partitioned laborious drive with Linux to get across the software program.
Dec. 2, 2021
Jill (Duggar) Dillard’s husband, Derick Dillard, walked into courtroom forward of day two of the trial. Jill, Josh Duggar’s sister, may very well be referred to as to the stand to testify in some unspecified time in the future through the trial.
Throughout Wednesday’s listening to, the protection referred to as Division of Homeland Safety Particular Agent Gerald Faulkner to testify. He said that in Could 2019, the FBI Little Rock Workplace traced supplies described as little one pornography downloaded by means of peer-to-peer file sharing torrents to an IP handle in Fayetteville.
After an investigation, Homeland Safety brokers matched the placement to a used automotive lot Duggar owns in Springdale. Later that yr, brokers searched the property and seized a number of computer systems and Duggar’s private iPhone. The agent claimed Duggar used a Linux partition on one of many computer systems on the automotive lot to get round software program that alerted his spouse if he seen pornography.
After analyzing the seized supplies, the agent says his crew discovered a number of information depicting little one porn on a pc that Duggar had accessed. He then said that a few of the sorts of photos situated on Duggar’s pc ranked among the many worst he has seen in his profession investigating little one pornography.
The particular agent claimed that earlier than recording his preliminary interview in 2019, Duggar allegedly mentioned, “What is that this about? Did somebody obtain little one pornography?”
Throughout day three of the trial, the protection questioned who precisely had entry to Duggar’s pc on the automotive dealership.
The protection claimed the particular agent’s timeline is mistaken about when somebody allegedly downloaded the kid pornography onto Duggar’s work pc.
When referred to as to the stand to testify, the particular agent claimed an individual with entry to Duggar’s laptop computer downloaded the photographs on companies days between 10-11 p.m. Duggar’s attorneys argued that the particular person downloaded the pictures between 4-5 p.m.
Dec. 1, 2021
On Wednesday, Dec. 1, Decide Timothy Brooks rejected a movement filed by Duggar’s attorneys that will have prevented proof of previous molestation allegations from being introduced in courtroom.
On Wednesday, jurors additionally noticed parts of the photographs and movies discovered on the pc confiscated from the automotive dealership Duggar owned.
A few of these pornographic photos depicted youngsters as younger as 7-years-old. Duggar’s protection claimed he didn’t obtain the images.
The primary day ended with the protection questioning the particular agent who issued the search warrant to go inside Josh Duggar’s automotive dealership, the place they confiscated two computer systems and his cellphone.
Josh Duggar trial in Washington County
RELATED: Josh Duggar Trial: Decide says jurors can hear previous molestation proof
Nov. 30, 2021
Jury choice started Tuesday, Nov. 30 morning on the Washington County Courthouse.
Josh Duggar, seen holding the hand of his spouse Anna, walked into courtroom in Washington County on Tuesday for the primary day of trial.
Though jury choice is underway, the choose has nonetheless not determined whether or not household pal Bobeye Holt will testify in opposition to Josh.
The prosecution filed a supplemental transient on Tuesday describing the significance of Bobeye’s testimony. Briefly, it particulars Josh Duggar’s alleged confession to Holt of molesting 4 minors in 2003.
In keeping with the transient, Josh Duggar mentioned this with Holt as a result of, at the moment, he was in a relationship along with her daughter. The state says Holt described this as a dialog between shut household buddies and was not associated to anybody’s function within the church they each attended.
Josh Duggar’s attorneys submitted a supplemental briefing on Tuesday claiming that Holt’s testimony falls beneath clergy privilege, additionally known as priest-penitent/non secular privilege. This is able to defend sure communications from disclosure.
The transient states that Josh Duggar made these alleged statements to Holt with the expectation that they’d be stored confidential.
In keeping with the prosecution’s transient, Josh Duggar did not adduce any credible proof that he obtained “priestly comfort and steering” from Holt or that he anticipated her to not reveal what he mentioned.
In these paperwork the choose is utilizing to determine if Holt will testify, we have now realized what the prosecution says Josh Duggar informed her that day.
The next particulars may very well be tough for some to learn.
In keeping with the prosecution, on Mar. 30, 2003, the Holts joined Josh Duggar and his mother and father in his mum or dad’s bed room, the place he informed Mrs. Holt that he had inappropriately touched the vagina of one of many sufferer’s that day and had been touching the breasts and vaginal areas of three others, each over and beneath their garments, for years.
The prosecution’s transient states that Holt additional testified that in early 2005, the defendant stayed along with her and her husband in Little Rock as a result of, as she defined, they “beloved him and needed to see if he may restore his relationship with their daughter.” One night after her husband fell asleep. Holt testified that Josh Duggar informed her that he had “digitally penetrated” one of many sufferer’s vaginas whereas she sat on his lap and he learn her Bible tales. In keeping with the doc, this rape occurred on Mar. 30, 2003, which prompted the Duggars to contact the Holts that day.
Jury choice from 52 potential jurors has been accomplished with 12 fundamental jurors and 4 alternates.
Potential witnesses embody Jedidiah Duggar and Jill Duggar-Dillard, siblings to Josh Duggar.
Nov. 29, 2021
On Monday, Josh Duggar was in courtroom for an evidentiary listening to forward of his little one pornography trial. Jury choice is about for Tuesday, Nov. 30.
After the prosecution introduced two new witnesses to testify a few previous molestation case involving Josh Duggar, the choose referred to as Monday’s listening to.
The choose requested for a subpoena for Josh’s dad, Jim Bob Duggar, who’s at present operating for a state senate seat representing Washington County. A household pal named Bobye Holt can be dealing with a subpoena.
Prosecutors allege Josh Duggar might have confessed to Holt a few earlier assault.
Throughout Monday’s listening to, the choose didn’t determine if these two must testify through the trial. He did ask for a briefing from either side on why they need to or mustn’t testify. The choose will revisit it earlier than jury choice begins Tuesday.
5NEWS could have full protection of the trial because it progresses.
