The sexual assault victim, who had not been publicly named, revealed her identity to the media on the final day of the two-day trial. She testified in court that she awoke to find her father touching her. She says he apologized and said, “I thought you were your mother.” She told reporters that she was not her father’s only sexual-abuse victim. She did not say anything further to clarify that statement, but called him “a sexual predator.”
The former doctor was convicted of drugging his wife and drowning her in a bathtub at their home in Pleasant Grove. Prosecutors said his motive was his affair with another woman. He has not yet been sentenced.
The defendant’s attorney is asking for a retrial on the grounds that a federal inmate allegedly lied in court about a deal that would give him early release if he testified against the doctor. He says that prosecutor failed to disclose the deal. The inmate testified that the doctor confessed his guilt to him.
The defendant’s attorney contends that the man’s daughter is lying about the sexual assault to gain custody of her younger sisters. In court, he pointed out inconsistent statements and asked why she did not report the alleged assault to authorities immediately.
A prosecutor noted that even if her motive was to get custody of the girls, that did not mean she was not being truthful about the assault. She told the press she would sleep better “knowing I’ve done everything in my power to protect…my little sisters and others from my father….” The defendant could get up to 15 years behind bars for the assault when he is sentenced in late August.
Even for people who don’t have other criminal charges and convictions in their past, the charge of a sexually-based offense can carry serious penalties. Utah criminal defense attorneys work to help people maneuver the criminal justice system and to help prevent the charges from destroying a person’s life and career.
Source: The Salt Lake Tribune, “Martin MacNeill guilty of molesting his adult daughter,” Jessica Miller, July 3, 2014.
