Josh Duggar, 33, was charged in April with two counts of downloading and possessing child pornography.
Photo: Washington County Sheriff / Getty Images
The child pornography trial against Josh Duggar, exactor of “Reality show” “19 Kids and Counting”, began this Wednesday with the ruling of District Judge Timothy Brooks that allowed the jury to hear evidence on the defendant’s admission that he had sexually molested four girls about 18 years ago.
The above evidence is contained in testimony from a friend of the Duggar family during a pre-trial hearing held on Monday.
The woman testified that the former star of the television series confessed that he sexually abused four girls in 2003.
Brooks’s decision was questioned by Duggar’s attorneys, who stated that the man is not accused of these crimes and that they are irreverent to the case.
“The victims of child pornography in this case are approximately the same age as the victims of the defendant in the offenses of sexual touching of minors,” the judge wrote.
Therefore, the evidence of the prior act is evidence of the accused’s sexual interest in minors and their propensity to exploit young girls“, Argued the lawyer.
Duggar, 33, was charged in April with two counts of downloading and possessing child pornography.
The material was found in child pornography files on a computer at his now-closed car dealership.
The man reportedly downloaded content over the course of three days in May 2019.
65 images of child porn and a video of a man abusing two girls
Last May, federal agents testified that to the at least 65 images of child porn were on Duggar’s computer, including a two minute video showing a man sexually abusing two girls between the ages of 5 and 10 years.
Duggar has pleaded not guilty to the charges and insists on his innocence.
His attorney, Justin Gilfand, indicated in his opening arguments that someone else downloaded or located the prohibited images on his client’s machine.
“If you like the mystery, then this is the case for you,” the legal defender told jurors, as reported by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
“This is a classic, an old-fashioned whodunit,” Gilfand said.