Opinion ID: 1924863
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Victim Two

Text: Just over twenty-four hours later, on August 10, 2003, at about 2:15 a.m., Leo Morris III was at a friend's wedding on Wingate Avenue in Warwick when he heard screaming emanating from nearby Belmont Park. Deciding to investigate, Morris followed the screams into the dark park, and discovered a woman, whom we will call Ann Jones, [2] lying on her back, naked and bleeding. Leaning down to her side, he noticed a stab wound in her abdomen. Morris immediately called the police from his cellular phone and stayed by Jones's side until they arrived. Minutes later, Officer Tammy Mello responded to Belmont Park, where she found paramedics treating Jones's abdominal stab wound and swollen leg. Jones testified that on August 9, 2003, she was working as a prostitute in the Elmwood Avenue and Parkis Avenue area in Providence when a car began circling the block, its passengers attempting to pick her up. Jones recognized the driver, a previous customer of hers known as Manny (and later identified at trial as defendant). When the car passed her for the fourth time, Jones finally accepted the passengers' solicitation for sex and accompanied defendant and his passenger in the vehicle. Jones thought that the men would take her to Wadsworth Street in Providence, but, instead, they drove to a dark park. Upon their arrival, the men forced Jones out of the car as she desperately tried to fight them off. Jones testified that as she struggled with the passenger, defendant maneuvered around her side and stabbed her in the abdomen. Together, the men then carried Jones to a grassy area where both the passenger and defendant raped her. Jones testified that while the passenger was penetrating her, defendant watched like it was a TV show. According to Jones, both men ejaculated inside of her during the assaults, after which they abandoned their bleeding victim in the park. Trying to attract help, Jones ran through the park screaming, but collapsed. It was then that Morris discovered her. Jones was taken by ambulance to Rhode Island Hospital, where she was examined and treated. A rape kit was completed that evening and included oral, vaginal, and rectal swabs. Subsequent testing on those swabs did not reveal the presence of seminal fluid. Once again, defendant's version of events at trial differed markedly from Jones's account and from defendant's previous statements. According to defendant, this time Chajal drove to defendant's home with Jones to invite defendant first to a party and then to a club. The defendant agreed to accompany them and got in Chajal's car. Instead of driving to a party, however, Chajal drove to Belmont Park. Upon arriving there, Chajal opened the car door to allow Jones to get out, but she refused and requested money before exiting the vehicle. According to defendant, Chajal never paid Jones money, but took her to a grassy area, where Jones struggled to get away. The defendant said that although he could not see whether the two were engaged in intercourse, he could see Chajal on top of Jones and could hear Jones screaming and asking Chajal to let her go. When defendant attempted to rescue Jones, Chajal asked him to leave. Accordingly, defendant drove Chajal's car to the park entrance. The defendant eventually returned because Chajal had threatened to vandalize defendant's car if defendant abandoned him in the park. The defendant asked Chajal if he was ready to leave, at which point Chajal got up off Jones and climbed into the car. The defendant saw Jones run into the darkness. The defendant vehemently denied ever having sex with Jones. C