Prosecutor calls defendant in gang rape one of the 'pack of dogs' Meanwhile, defense says 11-year-old victim lured men

Site of the rapes that led to at least 20 assailants being charged in the Liberty County assault of an 11-year-old girl. Cell phone videos of the attacks allegedly were circulated in the school district.



Site of the rapes that led to at least 20 assailants being charged in the Liberty County assault of an 11-year-old girl. Cell phone videos of the attacks allegedly were circulated in the school district. Photo: Mayra Beltran Photo: Mayra Beltran Image 1 of / 14 Caption Close Prosecutor calls defendant in gang rape one of the 'pack of dogs' 1 / 14 Back to Gallery

LIBERTY - Liberty County prosecutors described Jared Len Cruse as one of a "pack of dogs" who gang-raped an 11-year-old Cleveland girl, while the defense likened the girl to a "spider" who lured men into her web.

Testimony in this case was over in a single day after Cruse, now 20, declined to testify and his attorney, Steve Taylor, rested without calling any witnesses Tuesday.

During opening remarks and the questioning of the young girl, Taylor stressed how she never shed a tear nor voiced a single complaint about her sexual encounters with any of the 20 males accused of assaulting her two years ago.

The girl, whose name was withheld because she is a juvenile, answered "yes, sir" when Taylor asked if she had been a "willing participant." She also acknowledged never making an outcry until questioned by authorities after graphic sex tapes of her encounters surfaced at Cleveland High School.

She had a slight smile and talked softly on Tuesday, although she did cry during the trial of another defendant when the sex videos were played.

A forensic nurse also testified Tuesday that the girl had told her about crying once during the assaults.

Taylor questioned whether the accused knew the girl's true age. He insisted that she had lied about being 17, the legal age of consent, but was unable to produce testimony to back that up.

Taylor asked Jared McPherson, who is serving a 15-year sentence for assaulting the same girl, if she had lied about her age to him, but prosecutors objected and he was barred from answering.

Prosecutor Joe Warren used McPherson to identify Cruse as the person on a video having oral and vaginal sex with the young girl.

In his opening remarks, Warren said Cruse was so proud of his sexual exploits with a child that he had his friends make a videotape.

"There he is with his face grinning at us," the prosecutor said.

Former Cleveland Police Department Sgt. Chad Langdon, who was the lead investigator on the case, also testified that an 11-year-old - due to her emotional immaturity - legally cannot give consent for a sexual encounter.

Taylor questioned why the underage girl had not been charged with anything for choosing to violate that rule, indicating that she was "the reason" that the encounters happened.

"Like the spider and the fly. Wasn't she saying, 'Come into my parlor, said the spider to the fly?' " Taylor asked.

"I wouldn't call her a spider," Langdon replied. "I'd say she was just an 11-year-old girl."

"I hope nothing like this ever happens to your two teenage sons," Taylor snapped back.

Warren asked Langdon what he would do if his own sons had been involved in such a case.

"I would not whitewash it or sweep it under the rug," the detective said.

Cruse is the second of 20 male defendants to be tried for allegedly sexually assaulting the girl over the course of four months in 2010 in Cleveland. The first, Eric McGowen, was convicted and received a sentence of 99 years in prison. Seven juveniles have received probation and six adults received 15 years in prison after pleading guilty in exchange for plea deals.

Cruse already is serving an eight-year sentence on convictions for aggravated robbery and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Closing arguments are scheduled for Wednesday in State District Judge Mark Morefield's court.

cindy.horswell@chron.com