The state and defense rested Wednesday following a single day of testimony in the rape trial of a 22-year-old Texarkana man accused of misconduct with a relative's child.
Quayvon Kentrell Peoples is charged with three counts of rape, each of which is punishable by 25 to 40 years or life in an Arkansas prison. Peoples is accused of molesting the daughter of relatives he lived with from age 11 until the day in May 2016 when the alleged victim made an outcry of abuse to her mother.
The girl's mother remained composed but tearful throughout her time on the witness stand Wednesday morning. Under questioning from Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Connie Mitchell, she told the jury that Peoples came to live with her, her husband and their four children when his own mother could no longer handle his behavior.
The mother said Peoples, who became the oldest of the youngsters when he moved in, "ran" the other children. The mother said she and the girl's father were in Louisiana packing up a recently deceased relative's belongings when her daughter, now 14, sent her text messages describing the alleged abuse on Labor Day weekend 2016.
"I called my sister and had her go pick up my girls," the mother testified.
The mother said that as she and her husband pulled into their Texarkana, Ark., driveway the following day, Peoples and the mother of his then-infant child were driving away and did not stop.
Under questioning from Peoples' lawyer, Bart Craytor of Texarkana, the mother denied she coached her daughter to make the allegations so that she could have more time with Peoples' baby. The mother said she has continued to see the baby since the allegations surfaced and Peoples has been in jail.
"You're mad at Quayvon, aren't you," Craytor asked the mother.
The mother, a tissue clenched in her hand, replied, "I'm hurt by Quayvon. I'm very hurt."
The alleged victim often looked down during her testimony as she described several incidents of sexual abuse. The girl used phrases such as, "it hurt," "it burned," and "I didn't know what to do," as she testified.
The girl said the abuse began when she was age 6 or 7. At that time, Peoples was 14 or 15.
The girl's 17-year-old brother testified he "didn't know what to do" when he was a young child and walked in on Peoples on top of his sister. The teen said he warned Peoples that his mother and father knew about the allegations when they surfaced in May 2016 under questioning by Mitchell. He testified he was conflicted as to what to do but that he decided to tell of what he allegedly witnessed without any prompting from his mother.
Under cross examination from Craytor, the teen admitted he once approached Peoples' lawyer about testifying for the defense. But under additional questioning from Mitchell, he said he felt torn and "didn't know what to feel. I didn't know what to do. But I'm doing this on my own."
Texarkana, Ark., Police Detective Bret Gatlin testified under questioning from Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Kristian Robertson that the alleged victim's mother wasted no time contacting law enforcement. Gatlin said another man, Kendrick Mims, roughly the same age as Peoples who also lived with the alleged victim's family during his teen years, confessed to sexually abusing the girl and to witnessing Peoples sexually abuse the girl. Charges against Mims are pending. Gatlin testified that the alleged victim's brother described seeing Peoples sexually assault his sister as a child.
Gatlin and Children's Advocacy Center Forensic Interviewer Kaylee Johnson said the girl provided "sensory details" regarding the alleged sexual abuse.
After the state rested its case, Craytor called Peoples to the stand.
"I don't know if I've been answering questions wrong but I am not a rapist," Peoples testified.
Peoples said the alleged victim's mother was in control of the household and didn't want him and his baby's mother to leave her home with their infant.
"She had her mood swings. If something went wrong I'd always get the blame for it," Peoples testified. "I always tried my best to please her but it just wasn't good enough."
Mitchell addressed Peoples' direct testimony with intensity on cross examination.
"She treated you like a son and what did you do," Mitchell pressed. "You raped her daughter."
Circuit Judge Brent Haltom instructed the jury of seven women and five men to return to court this morning to hear closing arguments in the case. If the jury convicts Peoples of any of the three counts of rape, a second, punishment phase of trial will begin. A verdict in the case is expected today.