Baruch Deutsch Found Not Guilty on All Charges Despite him admitting to sodomizing Children

 

Baruch Deutsch Found Not Guilty on All Charges, Likely Because of Statute of Limitations; Defense Attorney Admits to Abuse, Disputes Timing

On Day 5 of Baruch Deutsch’s bench trial, the judge found Deutsch not guilty of 6 counts of first degree sodomy against a minor under 13. The verdict followed shortly after each side presented its summations. In the defense’s summation they didn’t dispute that Baruch Deutsch sexually abused the victim. Deutsch repeatedly admitted to sexually abusing his victim on a controlled call played in open court. The defense’s case and summation largely centered on casting doubt on the victim’s ability to remember abuse within the specific window of the last two weeks of December, right before his bar mitzvah.

That issue was pivotal because of the statute of limitations on the applicable charges. Sodomy in the first degree of a child under the age of 13 doesn’t currently have a statute of limitations, but the same charge for a victim over 13 has a statute of limitations that has already passed. While the alleged abuse occurred over a period from 2001 to 2003, the only chargeable period of alleged abuse was the last two weeks of December, 2001. In his closing arguments, Deutsch’s lawyer admitted that the only element of the charged crimes in dispute was the relevant time period.

Deutsch may have avoided justice on a technicality, but a courtroom full of people heard him repeatedly admit to orally and anally raping a child. His supporters may claim that he’s been exonerated, but that’s the opposite of what transpired. The community should continue to exercise caution around Baruch Deutsch.