Opinion ID: 2361162
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 14

Heading: Mary C.

Text: When Mary C. was in eighth grade, Merzbacher would fondle her, lift up her skirt, pinch her breasts, and shove the stem of a smoking pipe into her vagina. (E. 328, 344). During this year, Merzbacher also raped Mary C. at the Rockaway Beach Fire Department. (E. 344). After raping her, Merzbacher pinned her hair to the floor with his foot, and forced three male students to rape her. Mary C. was aware that Merzbacher had a gun in his possession and that he wasn't afraid to use it at that point. (E. 346). Shortly thereafter, Merzbacher approached Mary C. in the storage room of the school and began kissing her. When she resisted, he slammed her against the wall, put his hands around her throat, and told her that if she ever pulled away from him again, he would kill her. (E. 347). Merzbacher continued to make similar threats to her approximately three to four times a week. He also threatened the safety of her father, a Baltimore City police officer, several times. On one occasion, Merzbacher pulled Mary C. out of class and asked, [Mary C.], what's your father doing here? You're not blabbing are you? He better not get too nosey or I'll kill him. (E. 330). Holding a gun to her head, Merzbacher also warned, Who's gun do you think could blow a bigger hole in someone's headmine or your father's? He added, My gun could blow a hole so big in Johnny Law's head.... (E. 330). On another occasion, Merzbacher approached Mary C. after school and asked her if she was pregnant. When she expressed uncertainty, Merzbacher told her that she better not be and that, if she were, he would shoot her. (E. 347-348). He further threatened Mary C. by telling her that, if she were pregnant, he would shoot [her], yank it out with a hanger and let [her] bleed to death, or he would knock [her] down the stairs. After picking up Mary C. and her date from a school dance, Merzbacher also threatened that if she ever said anything about what he had done to her, he would kill her. (E. 349). Mary C. did not report Merzbacher's conduct to the authorities because Merzbacher and I had an agreement. If I kept my mouth shut, he wouldn't kill me. If I did certain things that he said to do, I stayed alive, and I carried that with me. (E. 351).