The opening statement was made Tuesday in the trial of a man charged with eight counts of child sexual abuse, three counts of sexual conduct with a minor and one count of indecent exposure.
The dozens of charges against Juan Giron Jr. span decades, with the first allegation of child sexual abuse dating back to 1993. The latest charges relate to incidents that occurred between January 2014 and her June 2017.
Four girls have come forward claiming they were assaulted by Jiron, and some of the victims are the defendant’s granddaughters.
While the opening statements were being made, the seats behind prosecutor Michael Tuninck were nearly full. The court was mostly filled with witnesses and their support his system. Fanta is a black lab and also his K9 victim advocate for the Northern Arizona Victim Witness Service.
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The first witness to take the stand on Tuesday was 17 years old. She testified that Giron masturbated in front of her when she was under ten and that he inappropriately touched her when she was six. vacation during school holidays.
Giron’s attorney, Greg Perzik, said in his opening statement that for 23 years, the defendant provided a loving and open home to those in need of a place to stay. One such home was in Donnie Park, where the open home closed when the defendants were indicted in 2018, Parzych said.
Parzych continued to maintain that most of the alleged victims did not file police reports. One, a girl who claims she was assaulted by Giron in the 1990s, she called the police in 2007. Perzik said the alleged victim heard that Giron was planning to coach volleyball, and she came forward. Parzych went on to say that when police tried to follow up on the allegations, they were unable to substantiate them at the time.
Defense attorneys characterized the first allegation as a family story, a type of rumor spread from girl to girl.
Parzych said in his opening statement that the alleged victims would testify that they approached Giron’s wife about their experiences and concerns. According to Parzych, Jiron’s spouse plans to testify on her husband’s behalf and denies that her girls approached her.
Tunink said in his opening statement that it would ultimately be up to the jury to decide which witnesses were credible.
The trial continued Thursday in Coconino County Superior Court.
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