2 weeks Ago
An adult woman and her two adolescent daughters suffered four straight days of sexual, physical and mental abuse at the hands of Christopher M. Devenport, according to prosecutors and a witness during the first day of Devenport's trial Tuesday in La Crosse County Circuit Court. Devenport, 35, Holmen, was arrested Sept.
15, 2020, and faces 17 criminal charges. His trial began Tuesday with opening statements and testimony from one of the victims. Christopher Devenport attends the first day of his trial at the La Crosse County Courthouse on Tuesday, Nov.
12, in La Crosse. Devenport faces 17 criminal charges including child sexual assault. Saskia Hatvany Felony charges against Devenport include three counts of second-degree sexual assault of a child, three counts of exposing himself to a child and one count each of child abuse, attempted child abuse, strangulation/suffocation, substantial battery, false imprisonment and third-degree sexual assault.
He also faces five misdemeanor charges. Devenport has spent the last 31 months in solitary confinement at the La Crosse County Jail, where his being held on $10,000 cash bail. During her opening statement, assistant La Crosse County District Attorney Susan Donskey told jurors that Devenport committed the abuse at a Holmen residence from Sept.
10-14. "It was finally on Sept. 14 .
.. that (the victim) had had enough and called police, both for herself and for her daughters," Donskey said.
The adult victim spent more than an hour on the witness stand. She testified that she and the two girls were victimized by various controlling, violent and degrading actions by Devenport, who told them that law enforcement can't save them. She spoke of Devenport's delusional behavior, including his assertions that he was part of the CIA and FBI.
Defense counsel Todd Schroeder told jurors that Devenport was a normal person until 2019, when his father died of lung cancer. Schroeder said his client became delusional after that. He said the delusions raise doubts whether the alleged sex offenses were committed in pursuit sexual gratification, an element that is necessary for conviction.
"For many of these allegations, you have to decide why did it happen, and you have to be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt why it happened," Schroeder said. Donskey objected to evidence of Devenport's mental instability. Devenport has been found competent to stand trial, and he has consistently objected to assertions that he is mentally incompetent.
"To get too much into mental health is confusing for the jury," Donskey said. "The whole mental health thing serves as a very confusing factor for the jury when they can't use it to overcome intent." Devenport had been unruly during previous court hearings and was warned by judge Elliott Levine that he wouldn't be permitted to attend the trial in person unless his behavior improved.
Devenport remained quiet during the morning session except for a brief interval in which he held up what appeared to be two pages torn from a magazine and attempted to address their relevance. The trial is scheduled to run through Thursday..
