After six hours of closing arguments by two prosecutors, and one defense lawyer, the jury was presented with the case shortly before five p.m. After a brief discussion, they were directed to return at 9 AM Tuesday.
Maxwell, 59 years old, was composed and cheerful as she spoke with her lawyers, family members, and friends for the first three weeks. As Assistant U.S. attorney Maurene Comey rebutted defense claims, Maxwell seemed emotional and stated that the British socialite thought her four accusers were below her.
Maxwell looked at Maxwell and said, “In her eyes they were just garbage.”
She had already wiped her eyes twice earlier as Comey attacked defense portrayals for the women who gave testimony about the abuse they suffered as teenagers. Maxwell was a key figure in Epstein’s attempt to sexually abuse teenage girls, according to the prosecutor.
Laura Menninger, a defense lawyer, had claimed that the women’s memories of abuse by Maxwell and Epstein were flawed memories that were manipulated decades later by U.S. investigators or lawyers seeking to make a case for their clients. This was after Epstein committed suicide in federal prison in 2019, while he waited for his own sex trafficking trials.
Comey called Maxwell’s defense claim that Maxwell did not know about abuses that had been going on for over a decade “laughable.”
She said that “those four witnesses gave you the most damaging evidence in this trial.” “These women have put themselves through the torture of testifying at this court, even though they have nothing to lose.”
Comey said, “They did it to do justice.”
The prosecutor began her remarks by disputing the defense’s claim that almost all of the evidence was Epstein-related. Maxwell, however, did not deserve to blame for his crimes as a conspirator.
Comey pointed out Maxwell as the focus of the case. She sat at the defense desk in a white sweater while four of her siblings watched. Maxwell was the first spectator in the courtroom, where everyone adhered to spacing rules set by the coronavirus.
Prior to Epstein’s abuse of girls at a New York estate, Florida estate, and New Mexico ranch, Alison Moe, Assistant U.S. attorney, called Maxwell “lady in the house”.
Moe stated that “Ghislaine Maxiwell was dangerous.” She listed more than $30 million Maxwell received over the years from Epstein. “Maxwell and Epstein committed horrifying crime.”
Menninger said that prosecutors failed to prove any charges beyond reasonable doubt. “Ghislaine is innocent, wrongfully accused for crimes she didn’t commit.”
Menninger clarified, “GhislaineMaxwell is not Jeffrey Epstein.”
She pointed out many inconsistencies in statements made over the years by women, and said that “their memories were highly flawed”. There are also “many reasons for doubt and to hesitate.”
“She is being investigated for her association with Jeffrey Epstein. Menninger said that although it is the worst mistake she has made in her life, it is not a crime.
The fourth week of a trial originally scheduled to last six weeks began with the summations. Judge Alison J. Nathan advised lawyers to tighten their closings in light of the New York coronavirus epidemic. The jury could start deliberating on Monday, despite the fact that it was a holiday weekend.
Maxwell was arrested in July 2020. Maxwell was repeatedly denied bail by the judge despite her lawyer’s argument that her $22.5 million estate pledge and willingness to be watched 24 hour a day would ensure her appearance in court.
After two dozen witnesses from prosecution testified, the closings were completed. These included the four women who claim that Epstein and Maxwell abused them as teenagers.
Moe claimed that Maxwell was a sophisticated, “age-appropriate” woman who covered Epstein’s “creepy”, behavior.
She requested them to disregard the testimony of a psychologist professor called by defense. She said that the testimony that memories can fade over the course of time and be affected by what people see, hear, or read was “total distraction.”
She said, “These women know what has happened to their bodies.” “Common sense will tell you that molestation is something you can never forget.
Menninger, however, supported the testimony of Maxwell’s memory expert by citing instances where Maxwell’s accusers did not mention the defendant’s name in their first statements about the abuse they suffered from Epstein.
She claimed that the accusers’ testimony was manipulated and resented by their lawyers as they sought millions in compensations from Epstein’s special fund, which was established after his suicide to pay for his victims.
Menninger stated that the women “recovered memories” that Ghislaine was present.
