Opinion ID: 743074
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The People's Case

Text: 4 The People's case consisted of testimony from police investigators, medical experts and Keegan and Winder. At the time of trial, Winder and Keegan were both twenty-three year old women, and friends of eight years. They each moved to the United States from Ireland in 1989, and soon became roommates, sharing a Brooklyn apartment with two other people. On the evening of April 27th, Keegan and Winder went to the Cavacanum, a bar in lower Manhattan. Winder recalled Agard approaching the women and offering to buy them drinks. He was friendly and the three went together downstairs to the club's dance area. Agard later invited Winder back to his apartment and she accepted. As she recalled, they were getting along very well. Before they departed, Agard gave Keegan the telephone number to his apartment so she could call to say she had made it home safely. 5 Agard shared the top floor of a house in Queens with three roommates. Their landlady occupied the ground-floor apartment. Winder was introduced to Agard's roommate Freddy. Agard, who had earlier remarked that he carried a gun when riding the subway, showed Winder an automatic handgun kept in his closet. They then watched blue movies depicting mainly anal intercourse. Winder recalled Agard mentioning anal intercourse and motioning that way later that night when the two had sex, but she told him that she was not into it and just said no. Winder testified that they did not engage in anal intercourse on that day, but did engage in consensual vaginal and oral sex before falling asleep. In the morning, they had intercourse again. 6 After a trip to a beach on Staten Island with Freddy and Keegan, Agard and Winder returned to Agard's apartment where they spent the night. Winder testified that she awoke at midnight, hoping to return to the Cavacanum where she and Agard had planned to meet Keegan, but Keegan could not be reached by phone and Agard did not want to go out again. After Agard attempted to initiate sex, Winder explained that, because she was expecting a boyfriend from England, she felt we shouldn't go on like this. Winder testified that they did not engage in sexual relations that night. 7 The following week Agard made several attempts to contact Keegan and Winder. He suggested that he have dinner on Thursday night with Keegan, whose job was located near Agard's, but Keegan was not home when he called her to arrange the date. On Saturday, Agard called the women several times to see if they wanted to meet again at the Cavacanum. After he said that he would not call again, the women called him and agreed to meet at the club. 8 The women arrived late and found Agard, who was short with them, and Freddy. The four drank and talked for several hours. Cocaine was also used by at least some members of the party, including Winder. Winder testified that she eventually became drunk and blacked out: the last thing she recalled from that evening was Agard's friend Kiah arriving and the group making plans to go to another club. Keegan testified that Winder, although drunk and tired, was still walking and talking even after the time of her memory lapse. Keegan explained that she, Winder, Agard, Freddy, and Kiah, along with two other women who needed a ride, left for the other club in Kiah's car. On the way, Winder sat on Agard's lap in the front seat, but was not physically affectionate because she was asleep. 9 Only the two women passengers were allowed into the second club which was closing up when the group arrived. The party of five moved on to a bar in another neighborhood where they continued to drink. Keegan recalls that Winder was asleep or falling asleep, and did not even drink her drink. Sometime between 4:00 and 4:30 in the morning, the party left the bar. Keegan recalls wanting to return to her apartment in Brooklyn with Winder, but at Agard's suggestion the group returned to his apartment. 10 Kiah and Freddy left to buy beer while Agard let the women into his apartment. They settled into Agard's bedroom. Keegan testified that Winder immediately fell asleep, fully-clothed, on Agard's bed. When Keegan indicated that she wanted to call a cab, Agard responded that he had sent his friends for beer and the least [they] could do is stay to have a beer after he had gone to that amount of trouble. According to Keegan, Agard became verbally abusive and threatening. He called her Gaelic, told her to get her monkey ass out of the house, said he was going to smash [her] face in, and ordered her to shut the fuck up.He then went over to a chest of drawers against the wall and took out a gun. After clicking a cartridge into the handle, Agard placed the gun against Keegan's head, saying, I'm going to give you three seconds to shut up. Agard then put the gun back into the drawer and continued to abuse Keegan until Kiah and Freddy returned with beer. Agard, by Keegan's recollection, told them to get the bitch out of the house or he was going to hurt her.... 11 Keegan asked Agard to follow her into Freddy's room so they could discuss what was making him so mad. They moved into the other room where Agard continued to threaten her, saying that she would never leave the house alive and that she could go if you (Keegan) give both my friends head. Agard continued to change his mind, ordering Keegan to leave and then telling her to stay in Freddy's room. Keegan pleaded to see Winder, but when she was allowed into the bedroom Winder could not be awakened. Returning to the kitchen, Keegan found Kiah preparing to leave. Although initially reluctant, Keegan eventually decided to leave with Kiah. As she headed out the door of Agard's apartment and down the stairs, Keegan brushed by Agard, who turned and grabbed her around the neck. Keegan screamed, and he let her go, cursing her for getting him in trouble with his landlady. Keegan testified that she told Kiah during the trip to Brooklyn that Agard had threatened her with a gun. 12 Keegan arrived home at about 6:00 in the morning and went to bed. At 9:00 a.m. she called Agard's apartment to speak with Winder, but he answered the phone and hung up. She did not try again until 1:00 p.m., at which time she was told Winder had left. Agard immediately called Keegan back to tell her how mad he was at her for having awakened his landlady, and to threaten her that he would call again in a few days to let her know whether they had a major fucking problem. 13 Winder testified that she awoke at 9:30 a.m., wearing only her vest, 1 unable to remember how she got where she was, but in a rush to get home because she was expecting her English friend. She remembered that at some point Agard had asked her for a fuck and she said no. She asked Agard to call her a cab, then tried to do so herself. He put the phone down and began to curse [her], saying she was a no good ten-cent whore and that she had planned this. He also curs[ed] Keegan, saying that she had awakened the landlady, and called the women no good white trash. 14 Winder began to get dressed and Agard came up from behind her and slapped her in the face. He tried to back her against the wall, but she moved to the other side of the bed where he kicked her. He told her she had two choices, either I [Winder] do things his way or I would like the other thing less. He then came over to her and put his penis into her mouth and pulled on her hair. She pulled away from him, saying she couldn't do it anymore. Agard continued to insult Winder. When she repeated that she could not do what he wanted, he took his gun from the drawer and began putting cartridges into it, at which point Winder said okay and allowed him to resume the oral sodomy. 15 Winder said that she needed to go to the bathroom, and Agard permitted her to leave. After initially locking herself in, she fled the bathroom for Freddy's bedroom where she grabbed Freddy and begged him for help. She was able to bring Freddy with her into Agard's room, but Freddy left when ordered out. Recalling Agard's comment about the landlady, Winder screamed, causing him to punch her three times in the face. Agard continued the verbal threats, ordered Winder to leave, but told her to make [him] come first. She managed to scratch his lip, but could not see any injury her scratch may have produced. He threatened her first with a beer bottle, holding it above her head as if ready to strike. When she still refused to engage in sex, he retrieved the gun and put it to her head, saying [t]his is goodbye. At this point, Winder agreed to comply with his demands. 16 She asked to return to the bathroom for a drink of water. He refused, but brought her a beer for her thirst. Agard went to the bathroom himself, and Winder again fled to Freddy's bedroom. Petitioner followed her, picking her up off Freddy's bed and carrying her by the head and by the hair back to his own bedroom, where he threatened to kill her. 17 Agard raped and sodomized Winder while slapping her buttocks before allowing her to return to the bathroom. She returned to his bedroom without making further efforts to flee, and he committed additional acts of anal sodomy, oral sodomy, and rape. Winder feigned a seizure in an effort to escape, but as soon as she resumed normality, he raped her again. 18 Finally, Agard's landlady called the apartment twice, allowing Winder an opportunity to dress. Agard then called a taxi to take her back to Brooklyn and escorted her downstairs, saying [d]on't dare call the police and threatening her if she did. Winder got into the cab, but did not go far because she had no money. The driver dropped her off down the street from Agard's apartment where she was eventually able to phone Keegan. Winder hid until Keegan came for her, and the two women went to the police station. 19 That afternoon Doctor Ardeshir Karimi examined Winder at Elmhurst Hospital. He did not see any abnormality or signs of trauma in Winder's vagina or anus. Dr. Karimi took samples for a Vitullo kit from Winder's mouth, vagina, and anus. Later testing by Detective Robert Lewis determined that only the vaginal sample was positive for spermatozoa. 20 The next day, May 7, 1990, Winder and Keegan found the following message on the answering machine in their shared apartment: 21 You will know who this message is for. After careful consideration of this entire situation, it was my fault. I was a golden asshole. The only thing I can do is say I'm sorry and that's it. I'll never bother you again. Live safely and peacefully. Goodbye. 22 At trial both women identified Agard's voice on the tape. 23 On May 8, 1990, Detective Philip Giardina executed a search warrant at Agard's home where he recovered a .45 caliber automatic handgun and two magazines containing shells. After his arrest the same day, Agard first denied that he had a gun, then later admitted to having it but said it was not real, did not work, or belonged to a friend. As to the sex crimes, Agard did not equivocate: he stated that he had consensual sex with Winder, that they got into a fight, and that she scratched him and he mushed her face.