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Peoples
Despite an accused serial rapist defending himself in court against seasoned prosecutors, victims pointing directly at the accused, DNA evidence, as well as his former defense attorney testifying that this client admitted guilt, a Jefferson County jury couldn’t reach a verdict in the sex assault case they were tasked with deciding the week of April 15. After roughly a week of testimony and brief deliberation, Jefferson County Criminal District Court Judge John Stevens was forced to declare a mistrial in the state’s case of aggravated sexual assault against 35-year-old Raymond Reginald Peoples, of Beaumont, on April 19.
Peoples was indicted on three aggravated sexual assault charges after investigators said he broke into three residences and committed sexual assaults on July 9, Sept. 1 and Sept. 9, 2019; two of three assaults took place near Peoples’ own Beaumont residence, the charging instrument alleged.
During the assaults, Beaumont Police Department sex crime investigator Charles “Chuck” Duchamp testified during Peoples’ trial, the assailant used a weapon to control his female victims, wore latex gloves, and left DNA evidence that, once collected when the women reported the sexual assaults, returned to Peoples.
Since his 2019 arrest, Peoples has been provided attorneys that he alleges have conspired against him to secure his conviction. At the beginning of the trial, Peoples and his most recent defense counsel Audwin Samuel, were contentious before the court, with Samuel refusing to cooperate with the defendant acquiring materials he said were needed to defend himself against the felony allegations.
“I don’t have anything,” Samuel said in one breath; the next, Samuel advised that Peoples had no right to the evidence. During another breath, Samuel reported: “I gave it to the attorney,” but did not know what attorney that was.
“He said he doesn’t know what we’re talking about, is what I got,” Stevens interpreted of Samuel’s utterings.
Peoples’ former attorney William Marcus Wilkerson was more forthcoming with information, although he advised the defendant that to ask questions of him was not in the defense’s best interest. Wilkerson, who secured a “not guilty” verdict in the first of this trio of sex assault cases to proceed to trial, was hospitalized with pneumonia during the recent trial, but appeared via Zoom to be questioned at the insistence of former client.
“Once I start answering questions on the stand, you will waive that privilege,” of attorney-client secrecy, Wilkerson advised Peoples before the pro se defendant began his lengthy Q and A.
On cross, only one question was needed: Did Peoples admit his guilt to you? The short answer: Yes.
“I have never revealed to anyone that he, in fact, indicated to me that he committed these offenses,” Wilkerson said, adding that this is the first he spoke of the admission – and only because his now former client called him to testify to the act under oath.
“I still can’t understand,” Wilkerson added, why Peoples called him to testify. According to Wilkerson, even though Peoples wanted to pursue a conspiracy theory against the police, defense attorney and prosecution even in the first case, “I recall telling you at that time it would not be beneficial to you … and was correct when I got you an acquittal in that case despite DNA evidence.”
Peoples took the stand during this trial, though, spending hours speaking directly to the jury – admitting guilt to smaller acts and accusing social media of giving voice to liars.
“It was exploited all on public media,” Peoples said. “The females on Facebook was lying on me on account of Duchamp telling them whatever they was telling them.
“It’s called conspiracy. They set me up. They called themselves trying to start a ‘Me Too’ movement on me and it didn’t work.”
The 2016 aggravated assault with a deadly weapon Peoples served three years’ probation for, he said, did not prove he was aggressive, he argued.
“I overreacted,” he said. “I never been a bad person. I don’t even smoke weed.
“My only sin is adultery. God is making me pay, for real.”
Deliberations among the jury resulted in a quick response to the judge.
“The jury is split, and we are a hung jury,” the jury’s note to the court read. On questioning from Stevens as to whether more time could result in a unanimous verdict, the 12-person jury was unanimous in their belief that further deliberations would not bring them into agreement.
“Thus, under law,” Stevens ruled, “the case is declared a mistrial.”
Stevens, attesting that the hung jury Peoples trial is the 551st trial he has overseen, advised that the two designated criminal district courts for Jefferson County house dockets for approximately 5,000 pending felony cases. One of those cases is 23DCCR027, aggravated assault of a public servant charged against Peoples, which will be the next trial Peoples will face.
“Most definitely,” Peoples said, he will be representing himself in the next trial, as well.