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Adjustments sought to help child testify vs ex-cop
The Office of the Attorney General asked the Superior Court yesterday to allow some adjustments that would help a 14-year-old girl testify in the upcoming jury trial of a former police officer who is charged with sexually abusing the child.
If the girl is unable to testify at the trial of Melvin Maratita Manglona, the court could allow accommodations that will help the girl testify in an alternative manner, said assistant attorney general Teri C. Tenorio.
Alternatives could include allowing the girl to testify in another room through closed-circuit technology; through a double-sided mirror; in a closed courtroom; or through any other means that would protect her from further emotional harm and distress.
The trial of the 49-year-old Manglona will start on June 26, 2017, on Rota.
Tenorio said the victim is prepared to testify but the government is unsure how she will react to seeing Manglona in the courtroom.
The government is also unsure how the victim will react to divulging personal and traumatic information to the jury—essentially a panel of six strangers, Tenorio said.
The prosecutor said she met with the girl last Thursday and that the child appeared afraid and hesitant to talk.
Tenorio said the girl discussed thoughts of suicide and extreme embarrassment associated with testifying about the most intimate details of these events in the presence of Manglona and with a courtroom full of people who know her and her family.
Tenorio said after informing the victim that she could not meet with her (Tenorio) alone to discuss the facts of this case, she tearfully requested if alternative arrangements can be made for her testimony.
The OAG charged the defendant with two counts of sex abuse of a minor in the first degree and one count of disturbing the peace.
The OAG alleged that Manglona sexually abused the girl in July and on Aug. 11, 2016, on Rota. The girl told police that the defendant has been sexually abusing her since she was 9 years old.
Manglona pleaded not guilty. Attorney Brien Sers Nicholas is his counsel.
