A criminal trial in Florida took a shocking turn when a man accused of raping and trying to kill his ex-wife dropped his legal team so that he could cross-examine the alleged victim himself.
Trevor Summers, 45, is facing attempted murder and kidnapping charges in connection to the abduction of his ex-wife, Alisa Mathewson, in 2017. She claims Mr Summers convinced their 14-year-old daughter to open a window at her house so he could climb inside, after which he allegedly tied her to a bed using ropes and Christmas lights.
The Daily Beast reports that after the trial's start, Mr Summers fired his legal team so that he could cross-examine Ms Mathewson himself.
This resulted in Ms Mathewson screaming at her ex-husband during the cross-examination on Wednesday.
“You broke into my home in the middle of the night... attacked me and tied me up. Yes, you threatened me to have sex with you!” she screamed at him. “You raped me!”
Mr Summers questioned her description of the alleged attack, saying: "So you're calling it rape?"
“It is,” she fired back. “That is the definition of rape to come into someone’s home and attack them and tie them up and then have sex with them! That is the definition of rape!”
Ms Mathewson claims Mr Summers used a pillow to smother her until she passed out, after which he loaded her into an SUV.
Prosecutors claim that Mr Summers drove Ms Mathewson through rural parts of south Florida looking for a marina where he could charter a boat. She was conscious when he removed her, which allowed her to scream for help. An employee at a nearby CVS heard her screams and called 911.
When police caught up with them, they claimed Mr Summers was trying to strangle her and had slashed his own throat. They arrested him there.
Prosecutors claim the couple's separation caused Mr Summers to snap.
Three days into the trial, Mr Summers asked a judge if he could fire his legal team for the express
purpose of cross-examining his wife himself. He reportedly originally had wanted to represent himself, but changed his mind just before the trial began on Monday.
Before he fired the legal team, Mr Summers' attorneys attempted to argue that Ms Mathewson's version of events was just a "theory of what happened" that was full of "inconsistencies."
“If you keep an open mind if you wait until the end of the evidence…I believe the evidence will show he is not guilty,” his attorney, Anthony Marchese, said.
