Closing arguments begin in Harvey Weinstein trial in Los Angeles
The deputy district attorney showed a photo of a wolf and said Weinstein was a predator, having a skillful method to lure his prey
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The case against Harvey Weinstein is one step closer to getting to the jury. Prosecutors were able to get through part of their closing arguments Wednesday.
Early in her presentation, Deputy District Attorney Marlene Martinez showed a photo of a wolf with the assertion that Weinstein was a predator who used a skillful method to lure his prey. She noted that Los Angeles is a city full of dreamers, and he exploited those dreams.
Martinez said Weinstein gained his status as Hollywood's most powerful man through his persistence, illustrating a man who would not take no for an answer.
She played a leaked audio recording that was submitted to the court that portrayed one of his accusers, Ambra B., repeatedly declining Weinstein's request that she follow him to his hotel suite.
In the recording he admitted to inappropriately touching her in their prior meeting.
The secretly recorded audio was part of a New York Police Department sting operation but was not released until two years later when The New Yorker magazine reported on Weinstein's behavior.
The leaked audio tape was used in Weinstein's New York trial, which led to his 2020 conviction.
Eight women testified against Weinstein in the Los Angeles trial, including the four Jane Does who filed charges against him. He faces two counts of rape and five other counts of sexual assault.
Martinez emphasized that none of these women know each other, a point often highlighted so that jurors would consider the consistencies in their testimonies.
The method Martinez described accused Weinstein of arranging what seemed like business meetings, luring them into his hotel suite, sexually assaulting them and in some cases following through with the business element as a coverup.
The defense has repeatedly categorized the sex as consensual and transactional.
Gloria Allred represents two women who testified in this case, including one Jane Doe.
"They showed how she met him at the hotel, how she had put money in the parking meter showing the time she was there, and that she wanted to be a screenwriter," Allred said.
Closing arguments continue Thursday, both for the remainder of the prosecution's case and for the defense.
