Whew ...that was close. I was expecting them to want to use a Quoran......
A father and son accused of raping a teenage girl over a three-year period and keeping her shackled in a basement have made it clear that they don’t have faith in the law or in the people who practice it.
When they face an Ohio jury as they defend themselves against criminal charges that carry long prison sentences, they will rely on one book: The Bible.
Timothy Ciboro and his son, Esten Ciboro, both of Toledo, are each charged with multiple counts of rape. The trial is scheduled to start this week, months after the girl, who is Timothy Ciboro’s stepdaughter, managed to unshackle herself and escape while her alleged abusers were gone, authorities said.
During a hearing Friday, the Ciboros made the unusual request of having access to the Bible, which they plan to cite as they defend themselves in front of a jury. The Bible, Esten Ciboro told a judge, is “the only law book that truly matters,”
“There’s a great deal of strategy in Scripture and I use those strategies in everything I do,” Esten Ciboro told the judge. “It’s a vital part of everything I do.”
Timothy Ciboro said he and his son intend to “use God’s holy word to ask questions, questions that we believe are absolutely vital to our case,” the paper reported.
Lucas County Common Pleas Judge Linda Jennings has decided to allow the two to bring their Bible during the trial, but she told them that they can’t use the book to question witnesses.
“It’s the court’s opinion that while the Bible is very important, it is not a law book in a court of law,” Jennings said
The Ciboros are accused of sexually assaulting the girl over a period of three years, from 2012 to 2015. They are each charged with three counts of rape, endangering children and kidnapping. Timothy Ciboro, who faces two additional rape counts, is also accused of sexually assaulting the girl’s younger sibling during the same time period.
The child’s mother, Stafonda Hawkins, also was arrested on an unrelated parole violation, WTOL reported. The girl told police that her mother had left and that she had not seen her since 2012.
The father and son have been adamant about representing themselves despite repeated pleas from attorneys that having a lawyer is in their best interest.
During a hearing in November, Esten Ciboro said he would rather rely on his faith than on a lawyer.
“Professionals built the Titanic. Amateurs built the ark,”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...w-book-that-truly-matters-at-trial-the-bible/
A father and son accused of raping a teenage girl over a three-year period and keeping her shackled in a basement have made it clear that they don’t have faith in the law or in the people who practice it.
When they face an Ohio jury as they defend themselves against criminal charges that carry long prison sentences, they will rely on one book: The Bible.
Timothy Ciboro and his son, Esten Ciboro, both of Toledo, are each charged with multiple counts of rape. The trial is scheduled to start this week, months after the girl, who is Timothy Ciboro’s stepdaughter, managed to unshackle herself and escape while her alleged abusers were gone, authorities said.
During a hearing Friday, the Ciboros made the unusual request of having access to the Bible, which they plan to cite as they defend themselves in front of a jury. The Bible, Esten Ciboro told a judge, is “the only law book that truly matters,”
“There’s a great deal of strategy in Scripture and I use those strategies in everything I do,” Esten Ciboro told the judge. “It’s a vital part of everything I do.”
Timothy Ciboro said he and his son intend to “use God’s holy word to ask questions, questions that we believe are absolutely vital to our case,” the paper reported.
Lucas County Common Pleas Judge Linda Jennings has decided to allow the two to bring their Bible during the trial, but she told them that they can’t use the book to question witnesses.
“It’s the court’s opinion that while the Bible is very important, it is not a law book in a court of law,” Jennings said
The Ciboros are accused of sexually assaulting the girl over a period of three years, from 2012 to 2015. They are each charged with three counts of rape, endangering children and kidnapping. Timothy Ciboro, who faces two additional rape counts, is also accused of sexually assaulting the girl’s younger sibling during the same time period.
The child’s mother, Stafonda Hawkins, also was arrested on an unrelated parole violation, WTOL reported. The girl told police that her mother had left and that she had not seen her since 2012.
The father and son have been adamant about representing themselves despite repeated pleas from attorneys that having a lawyer is in their best interest.
During a hearing in November, Esten Ciboro said he would rather rely on his faith than on a lawyer.
“Professionals built the Titanic. Amateurs built the ark,”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...w-book-that-truly-matters-at-trial-the-bible/
