GREENSBURG, Pa. — Suspended Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez told a Westmoreland County jury Wednesday that he religiously sought confirmation of the 50 women he met online to ensure they were above the age of consent during the two years prosecutors said he conducted a sexual relationship with a teenager, according to Channel 11′s news exchange partners at TribLIVE.
Vasquez is facing several charges for sexually assaulting a minor. He denies the allegations.
The Trib stated that Vazquez, wearing a blue suit and sporting glasses, told jurors his routine was to ask women for proof of their age before engaging with them online and in person. He then described how his accuser made contact with him through Instagram and spent days seeking a response from him after she wished him a happy birthday in July 2017. Vazquez testified the girl claimed to be 17 and nearing her 18th birthday.
“I needed to know how old she was. I wanted to make sure she was that age,” Vazquez told jurors. A few days later she sent him through social media a picture of her Pennsylvania driver’s license that showed her age as 18, he claimed. “I kind of relaxed a little so I could talk to her.”
The teen denied sending Vazquez a picture of a fake identification card during her testimony earlier this week.
You can read more about Wednesday’s session at The Trib by clicking here.
During Monday’s session of trial, after opening arguments, the alleged victim’s mother took the stand and described how she found out her daughter had been communicating with Vasquez.
She said that she discovered text messages on her daughter’s phone between her and a contact named, “Justin.”
She also confirmed that two pictures on her daughter’s phone were of Vazquez, and at one point identified him as, “a closer for the Pittsburgh Pirates.”
Under cross-examination, Gary Gerson, the attorney for Vasquez, pressed the alleged victim’s mother on how she disciplined her child and asked her to describe the day she took their older daughter to college and left her younger 13-year-old at home.
After her testimony, the alleged victim took the stand, and things quickly got emotional. When describing their only encounter, the now 17-year-old said that Vasquez texted her a picture of him outside her house the day she was home alone.
She said she was scared to come out but went outside with her dog, then got into his car. A few minutes after talking, she said he put her on his lap, and while the two were facing each other he, “initiated intercourse.”
While crying she then testified that after getting out of the car, she felt numb. In the days following their only physical encounter, she said that she liked the attention and would continue to, upon request from Vasquez, send him text pictures and videos of herself.
The alleged victim in this case also admitted to lying to Vasquez about her age, saying that she was 17 and not 13. On Tuesday, she will be cross-examined by the defense.
Those who were in the courtroom told Channel 11 that Vasquez never once made eye contact with his accuser.
He also faces charges in Florida and Missouri after police said he had a sexual relationship with the girl related to those states.
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