FULLERTON, Calif. (AP) – It was a case that made headlines: A woman who disappeared a decade earlier at age 15 resurfaced and said her current husband had actually abducted her, raped her and forced her to marry him.
But in a trial that played out in an Orange County courtroom, the husband’s attorney claimed the truth was far more nuanced – and much less damning.
Isidro Garcia’s attorney showed photos of his client, now 42, and the woman at their wedding and smiling with their young daughter, who was conceived using fertility treatments.
On Friday, a jury deadlocked on the most serious charge of rape and acquitted Garcia of kidnapping. They convicted him of lewd acts with a minor after his attorney acknowledged he had an inappropriate sexual relationship with the girl when she was a teen.
Garcia at first rested his head on the table as the verdict was read and later fell to his knees and repeatedly said “Gracias!” while raising his hands to the ceiling.