By Amy Fullerton and Clarissa Rios
RIVERSIDE, CA – A day before closing arguments, a jury here Monday in Riverside County Superior Court heard from the suspect and others that there were a flurry of fights in the decades-long marriage of a man charged with domestic violence last March against his spouse.
Cornelius Jerome Desha testified that his relationship with his spouse, the victim, over the last 30 years of their marriage and relationship, was rocky, charging it was his spouse that fought with him both verbally and physically in front of other people, in front of their family, and especially in front of their four sons.
Desha admitted to using a lot of “name calling” during verbal fights but said he has never hit her back. He admitted fights were started because it was known that he had cheated on his wife.
In many instances, Desha recalled having to call out to his children to get his wife off of him. equating some of the physical fights he had with the alleged victim to “Mortal Kombat,” a violent fighting video game.
The centerpiece of Desha’s testimony appeared to be the alleged fact that he never hit her back but instead just moved her out of the way. When asked about the amount of force he used to brush her aside so he could leave, he claimed “1.5 to 2 at the most.”
Desha agreed that he was capable of hitting her, but repeatedly chose not to, despite physical attacks by his wife.
A family witness confirmed on the stand the verbal and physical fights between the Desha’s. She claimed to have witnessed numerous verbal fights and one physical fight.
The witness recounted one particular instance where the victim allegedly picked up a Razor scooter and struck Desha with it.
Soon thereafter, Desha proceeded inside to lock himself in the bathroom so he could avoid being hit by his wife and her shovel. The witness also recalled the wife then grabbing a hammer to try and pry the bathroom door open to continue the physical attacks.
There was no rebuttal at the end of the evidentiary presentation by the attorneys. Attorney closing arguments are scheduled to occur Tuesday, Oct. 19.
