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Alleged victim, 3 others testify in Taitano’s trial
The prosecution yesterday called four witnesses, including the alleged 13-year-old victim, during the start of the jury trial in Superior Court of Hank Kenney Peredo Taitano, a man accused of raping the girl, causing her to become pregnant.
Assistant public defender Matthew Meyer, counsel for Taitano, is expected to continue his cross-examination on the girl when the trial resumes today, Tuesday, at 8:15am.
Assistant attorney general Shannon Folley presented the government’s opening statements. Assistant attorney general Barbara Cepeda is assisting Folley at the trial.
The government called to the witness stand the mother of the girl, the girl’s stepfather, police detective Therese Kintoki, and the alleged victim.
Last week, Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho issued an order that allows a North Carolina-based laboratory technician at a paternity testing facility, to testify via Skype on the paternity test results of the baby.
According to court records, samples were secured from the infant soon after the birth, for use in a paternity test. The samples were then sent to LabCorp., the paternity testing facility in Burlington, North Carolina.
The CNMI government received the test results on May 26, 2015.
In December 2014, police arrested then-35-year-old tour bus driver Taitano, for allegedly raping the 13-year-old girl.
The girl’s parents learned about the rape when they noticed that the girl’s stomach was getting bigger.
During a checkup on Nov. 28, 2014, the doctor told the mother and her husband that the girl at that time was four months pregnant.
Taitano was charged with sexual abuse of a minor in the first degree.
