By Matt Bacon
Approaching its second full week, the child molestation trial in department 25 of the San Francisco Hall of Justice involving defendant Antonio Carter-Bibbs has proved itself to be an incredibly unique case for everyone involved. Following the testimony of the alleged five-year-old victim, multiple witnesses from different areas of the defendants’ lives have come to the stand attempting to either convict or acquit Antonio Carter-Bibbs of the heinous charges.
Today following the lunch break, the court heard from two separate individuals testifying in favor of Bibbs. First, his stepdaughter Michelle Wilson described her upbringing and Bibbs’ involvement in it, stating that he was nothing but a pleasant and caring stepfather who consistently took her to do fun things and made sure life necessities were provided for her. Wilson testified that she had never once got any “creepy old man” vibes from Bibbs, and that she does not believe he is capable of committing the crimes of which he has been accused.
The second witness called to the stand was a gentleman by the name of Andre Mouton, a former teacher, and mentor of Bibbs’ that helped him graduate high school on time. Again, he had nothing but positive things to say about Bibbs, stating that he has a strong work ethic and is a productive member of society. Mouton testified that he is a mandated reporter of sexual abuse against children, and has never once seen any behavior that would indicate Bibbs is capable of that type of behavior. Mouton stated that he would be completely comfortable leaving any one of his five daughters alone with Bibbs.
Deputy district attorney Brooke Jenkins quickly discredited Mouton by presenting a recording of him calling a 15-year-old girl, Amaya’s cousin Diamond, a “thot” and a “hoochiemama” during a phone call to Bibbs. Jenkins stated that Mouton’s affirmation that Bibbs is a gentleman who respects women and girls cannot be taken seriously due to his use of words that are disrespectful and discriminatory towards women. Mouton did not handle these criticisms with grace, providing Jenkins with her first beneficial cross-examination of the day.
The day concluded with Eric Quandt’s questioning of Patricia Kennard, codefendant of Antonio Carter-Bibbs. She testified that she has never once witnessed nor heard about the alleged molestation and has never been afraid of Carter-Bibbs. Although their relationship has not been perfect, Kennard claims that Carter-Bibbs has never been violent and has always been incredibly level headed. She also testified that the alleged crimes were not possible, being that Carter-Bibbs and Amaya had never spent any alone time together. She asserted there were no possible circumstances under which these crimes could have been perpetrated against her daughter.
