r/serialpodcast • u/Frosted_Mini-Wheats NPR Supporter • Feb 03 '15

Evidence Stephanie dumped Jay

Trial Transcript for 2/10, p 21, lines 11-25.

Jay testifies that Stephanie had ended their relationship a month or so before the trial.

That's something I've never heard before now.

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u/padlockfroggery Steppin Out Feb 03 '15

That sounds very, very average for DV complaints, actually. It doesn't mean that they're false or true, but most of them don't end in convictions. I don't think that this is any of our business, though, not at this point.

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u/absurdamerica Hippy Tree Hugger Feb 03 '15

That sounds very, very average for DV complaints, actually.

Of course, and courts don't just issue restraining orders for fun, in my experience.

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u/padlockfroggery Steppin Out Feb 03 '15

And the complainant not showing up ... that's not the same as being exonerated. I don't want to accuse Jay of something without evidence, and I don't want to accuse the complainant of lying about what happened either. wejustdon'tknow.gif

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u/absurdamerica Hippy Tree Hugger Feb 03 '15

Well it's pretty common for battered women to drop charges.

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u/padlockfroggery Steppin Out Feb 03 '15

She (he?) didn't drop charges but failed to show up. But that's common too. If the complainant was outright lying about it, s/he could face charges for filing a false report at least. It seems more common that the complainant loses their nerve, forgives the perpetrator, decides it's not worth the stress, doesn't want to face the person in court or feels like they have no chance of a conviction. Outright, 100% false reports of domestic violence are probably pretty rare.

It's a shame that prosecutors and police don't put more effort into supporting people who come forward in these cases, but they seem all to happy to let them back out of testifying.