MONROE - The legal defense for a Monroe man facing multiple charges of sexual assault against two young girls has filed a motion to move an impending trial away from Green County.
The motion, filed on Oct. 29, stated that coverage by area news outlets, including The Monroe Times, has "eviscerated" the presumption of the defendant's innocence in the eyes of the public and that the trial should therefore be held in a different, non-adjacent, county.
The defendant, Greg P. Gogin, 55, is charged with seven counts of sexual assault and related offenses against two underage girls. The offenses are alleged to have taken place from 2003 to 2014.
Gogin's defense filed a second motion requesting to sever four of the charges to be tried in a separate case.
The charges in question are currently joined because they are similar in character and occurred "over a relatively short period of time." However, the motion argues that, as the alleged offenses are purported to have taken place over 11 years, they do not fit any recognized legal definition of "a relatively short period of time."
The motion also requests to try a fifth charge separately, as the offense is alleged to have been perpetrated against a different victim than the other charges.
A final motion requested a private examination of the counseling and medical records of the victims.
The motion called into question the validity of the victims' memories, as one victim has said she has repressed many of her memories of the events. It also stated that both victims have been taking medication for post-traumatic stress disorder, which may have effects upon memory and recall.
An investigation may reveal that the victims' testimony during therapy differs from testimony to police, which could invalidate the allegations, according to the motion.
The verdict of these motions will be determined on Jan. 19. Gogin's trial by jury is scheduled for June 6.
The motion, filed on Oct. 29, stated that coverage by area news outlets, including The Monroe Times, has "eviscerated" the presumption of the defendant's innocence in the eyes of the public and that the trial should therefore be held in a different, non-adjacent, county.
The defendant, Greg P. Gogin, 55, is charged with seven counts of sexual assault and related offenses against two underage girls. The offenses are alleged to have taken place from 2003 to 2014.
Gogin's defense filed a second motion requesting to sever four of the charges to be tried in a separate case.
The charges in question are currently joined because they are similar in character and occurred "over a relatively short period of time." However, the motion argues that, as the alleged offenses are purported to have taken place over 11 years, they do not fit any recognized legal definition of "a relatively short period of time."
The motion also requests to try a fifth charge separately, as the offense is alleged to have been perpetrated against a different victim than the other charges.
A final motion requested a private examination of the counseling and medical records of the victims.
The motion called into question the validity of the victims' memories, as one victim has said she has repressed many of her memories of the events. It also stated that both victims have been taking medication for post-traumatic stress disorder, which may have effects upon memory and recall.
An investigation may reveal that the victims' testimony during therapy differs from testimony to police, which could invalidate the allegations, according to the motion.
The verdict of these motions will be determined on Jan. 19. Gogin's trial by jury is scheduled for June 6.