Man Accused Of Kidnapping, Sexually Assaulting 10-Year-Old Testifies He Was Her Savior
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The man accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 10-year-old Van Nuys girl testified at his trial Friday.
Tobias Summers, 34, testified that he wasn't the girl's attacker but that he was her savior.
KCAL9's Dave Lopez was in the courtroom.
Summers denied any wrongdoing against the girl only known in court documents as "Nicole."
He testified: "I had to take care of her. I was so scared. She looked like a little version of my mom."
The prosecution told a vastly different story.
"He actually put a belt around her neck," said prosecutor Laura Knight, "and tightened it. And he held on to her as he sexually assaulted her."
Summers said when he realized the girl had a torn shirt, he helped her.
He testified: "I broke into a laundry room at a nearby apartment and stole a shirt and put it on her. Then I took her to the hospital."
Summers concluded by saying, "I'm telling the jury the truth, the absolute truth."
What the jury was not told, Lopez reports, is that Summers and his attorney offered a plea deal in which Summers would spend 50 years behind bars.
The DA rejected that, saying he deserves 100 years behind bars and will get exactly that if found guilty on all charges.
The jury begins deliberations Monday.