Jelani Maraj’s Lawyer Wants Rape Charges Dropped
Jelani Maraj‘s defense in his child rape case has been reaching with Tyrannosaur Rex arms the entire trial. Now, they are asking the judge to throw out the rape charges.
Maraj’s lawyer is accusing the victim of lying about her age.
Via Page Six:
David Schwartz, who represents the “Anaconda” singer’s sibling Jelani Maraj, said Wednesday that the now-13-year-old victim never provided a birth certificate during the trial proving her age.
“Number one, the people have never established the victim’s age,” Schwartz told Nassau County Supreme Court Judge Robert McDonald. “We are relying on [the victim], who can’t possibly remember the day she was born.”
The girl was 11 years old when prosecutors say Maraj, her stepfather, began repeatedly raping her at their Long Island home. He is charged with rape and sexual conduct against a 12-year-old and faces up to life in prison, if convicted.
Schwartz asked the judge to dismiss the serious charges against the 38-year-old, which McDonald will rule on Wednesday afternoon.
“I believe the people have failed in their burden because they didn’t introduce the birth certificate,” Schwartz explained outside the courtroom. “You have to prove the witness is under 13. Look, we had the witness on the stand, she didn’t look under 13 because the event happened two years ago.
“You have to put in a birth certificate, you’ve got to, and I believe they failed to do that.”
So, they are trying to use the child’s age and birth certificate as a means of him getting away with repeatedly raping a minor? His own stepdaughter?!?
