The trial in Case No. 3AN-09-07868CR, State of Alaska v. Rollins, is being heard before Anchorage Superior Court Judge Philip R. Volland. Today, closing arguments from the prosecution and the defense were heard, and the case went to the jury.
My tweets today were a mix of Rollins trial & Valentine’s Day. Today in Anchorage Superior Court, closing arguments were heard in the case, and then it went to the jury. We might hear a verdict as early as Tuesday. As has been the case through most of the trial, Grace Jang and photographer Ken Fankhauser of KTVA Channel 11 were in the courtroom livetweeting. (Eventually KTVA’s Twitter feed even got Fankhauser’s Twitter name spelled correctly.) See their Twitter feeds for a full account of the day’s events, or read/watch media coverage (links posted at the bottom of the post). Casey Grove of the Anchorage Daily News has also been doing some find reporting on this case.
Closing arguments were made for the state by Deputy District Attorney Sharon Marshall, for the defense by Fairbanks attorney Susan Carney. An excerpt from Casey Grove’s ADN piece on today’s events:
Marshall [for the state] at one point focused on Rollins’ position of authority.
She said one of the women, in her statement, spoke for all of the alleged victims regarding their feelings toward the officer.
” ‘He has so much power, he could cause problems for me,’ ” said Marshall, reading the woman’s words projected on a screen in court.
“When somebody stands in front of you with a badge and a gun, you’re supposed to respect that,” Marshall said. “He’s on official duty every time this happens.”
Turning to face Rollins later, Marshall raised her voice almost to a shout, saying he was so arrogant he thought his alleged victim wouldn’t go to police.
“This was all soft, subtle power abuse, situational force,” Marshall said.
Carney [defense attorney] said Rollins loved being an officer.
“He was handsome, a dashing figure in his uniform,” Carney said.
Carney implored the jurors to look at each case separately.
“It’s a credibility contest,” Carney said. “It is literally a ‘she said, he said’ situation.”
Which drew this comment from ADN reader Just_Sayin2011:
No, that statement is wrong. The correct statement is:
“It is literally a ‘she said, she said, she said, she said, she said, AND she said vs he said’ situation.”
(I made a similar comment in my tweets.)
Late in the day, Matthew Felling of KTVA tweeted,
Attn, Anchorage – Keep an eye out for @GraceJangKTVA for Rollins verdict info. She is *the* point of contact with Anchorage court.
That’s where I’ll be looking.
My tweets
- Closing arguments in Anthony Rollins trial: ex-APD officer accused serial rapist. @GraceJangKTVA & @photogfank in court livetweeting. #fb #
- Anthony Rollins trial: @RebeccaPalsha of KTUU also in courtroom. #fb #
- RT: @KTVA: Closing Arguments happening now in Anthony Rollins Trial. Follow @GraceJangKTVA and @photogfrank / Hey KTVA it’s @photogfank no R #
- Photo from @NASA shows the Moon wishing us all a Happy Valentine’s Day! http://go.nasa.gov/hf7cNp #
- Note to Valentine celebrators: candy/chocolate is not a gift that says “I love you” to me — it says you want me to become diabetic. #
- Rollins trial — RT: @GraceJangKTVA: Defense: It’s a “he said, she said” situation, so need to look at evidence #
- (but actually it’s a “she independently said x 6” / “he said” situation, and all 6 of the “she saids” say much the same thing) #
- Colbert Report’s Most Golden Standard Ron Paul Moments: In honor of Paul’s v. meaningful victory at CPAC http://bit.ly/giaVF5 #
- RT: @GraceJangKTVA: Rollins case now goes to jury #fb #
- RT: @shannynmoore: Happy Single Awareness Day, Tweethearts! #VD // gee, I don’t want VD whether I’m single or not! #
- RT: @adndotcom: The sexual-assault case of ex-APD officer Anthony Rollins is now in the hands of the jury. http://bit.ly/eM4Nxy #fb #
- RT: @richarddoetsch: ♞The writer you wish to be like the most? // A cross between Ursula K. Leguin & C.J. Cherryh. #
- @Scallywag195 Write another one, of course! in reply to Scallywag195 #
- RT: @matthewfelling: Attn, Anchorage Keep eye out for @GraceJangKTVA for Rollins verdict. She is *the* point of contact with ANC court. #fb #
Media coverage
- 14 Feb 2011. “Rollins’ jury hears closing arguments on sexual assaults: CLOSING: Deputy DA says alleged sex acts all about ‘power abuse'” by Casey Grove (Anchorage Daily News).
- 14 Feb 2011. “Jury Hears Closing Arguments in Rollins Sexual Assault Case” by Rebecca Palsha (KTUU Channel 2 News).
- 14 Feb 2011. “Rollins Day 12: Defense Says He ‘Sinned,’ Committed No Crime” by Grace Jang (KTVA Channel 11 News).
Here’s Grace Jang’s story broadcast on KTVA. KTVA summarized the defense and prosecution arguments on what kind of man Anthony Rollins is: “A God-fearing man or wolf in sheep’s clothing?”
