Crash Into Me_ A Survivor's Search for Justice - Liz Seccuro [50]
ME: I can tell you that I was extremely alert. I could see, I could hear, I could speak. However, my muscle coordination was extremely compromised. I can also tell you that I was having a bit of difficulty breathing, most likely because I was very panicky at this stage.
CHAPMAN: Now, was anybody making physical contact with you after you ended up back in the room?
ME: The Defendant.
CHAPMAN: Okay, what was the physical contact that he was making with you after you got put back in the room?
ME: Well, he shut the door and he turned out the lights. And I knew it was him because the lights were on.
CHAPMAN: Now, as those things happened, were you in physical contact with him?
ME: I came to be, yes.
It made me nervous breaking this down into second-by-second detail. It all happened so suddenly, a rush in my memory, and I feared that the defense would use it against me if there was a hole of even a few seconds in my story.
CHAPMAN: Now, when you came to be, yes, the way I’m hearing that is there was a period of time when you were not in physical contact with him.
ME: I was still trying to get away, one last effort. When I mean I came to be, I mean there was a few seconds interval.
CHAPMAN: And what was the physical contact that he was having with you?
ME: He was holding me by my left arm and he proceeded to very swiftly take my clothes off.
CHAPMAN: Okay, now, let me ask you, are you the same approximate size now as you were then?
ME: Yes.
CHAPMAN: How tall are you now?
ME: I’d like to think five-seven, but I believe it’s five six and a half.
CHAPMAN: And are you the same approximate weight now as you were then?
ME: Give or take.
CHAPMAN: In comparison with yourself would you describe the Defendant’s size at that time?
ME: He seemed extremely large and tall to me and I had flat shoes on at the time, unlike today. He—my sense was that he was a big guy.
CHAPMAN: Could you describe the force with which you were held at that time?
ME: It was not comfortable. It was extremely forceful.
CHAPMAN: To what extent were you able to move or free yourself or the like?
ME: I wasn’t—I was not able to.
I started to cry.
CHAPMAN: Now, you describe your clothes having been removed, could you tell the Court what you recall you were wearing at that time?
ME: Yes, I was wearing a denim miniskirt, a Guess miniskirt with a snap closure and a zip. I was wearing a long sleeved crew neck cotton sweater with pink, pale blue, yellow and white squares. A bra, underpants, navy blue leather flat shoes, a string of pearls and pearl stud earrings.
Even after burning those clothes, I would never forget them.
CHAPMAN: Now, could you describe to the Judge how it is the Defendant was able to remove your clothing under the circumstances?
ME: In what order, or—
CHAPMAN: If you can remember the order, and if you can remember physically what he did, please describe those things.
ME: If I’m him and you are me [Dave remained seated during the questioning, and he and I are sitting next to one another], I was held by—that would be my left arm, whereupon he unsnapped and unzipped my skirt and hooked his finger into my underwear and that came off all at once. Seconds later, the sweater came off over my head, it was a pullover, and seconds later, he unhooked my bra.
CHAPMAN: Could you describe when you say he threw you onto the bed, what is it he did, where is it you ended up and how rapidly or slowly and with what degree of force, if any, did those occur?
We had reached the moment—the actual crime. I could hear a bit of a sharp breath from the gallery and saw, out of my right eye, my husband start to slowly rock back and forth.
ME: It was rather forceful. Mind you, my arms and legs are not really coordinated, so it didn’t take very long. It was a very swift motion. My head ended up at the, for lack of a better word, north end, probably the north end of the room where the pillow would be and my feet ended up at the foot of the bed.
CHAPMAN: Where was he?
ME: He was right there.