Story highlights
Daniel Holtzclaw is accused of sexually assaulting more than a dozen women while on the job
His defense has reportedly attempted to discredit his accusers
Prosecutors say Holtzclaw prayed on the most vulnerable
Closing arguments reportedly wrapped up Monday in the case of Daniel Holtzclaw, a former Oklahoma City police officer accused of sexually assaulting more than a dozen women while on the job.
He faces 36 charges, including burglary, stalking, indecent exposure, sexual battery, forcible oral sodomy and rape. As a judge read through the counts Monday, Holtzclaw cried, according to The Oklahoman’s Kyle Schwab, who provided updates from the courtroom on Twitter.
The case started after one woman came forward and accused Holtzclaw of “sexual impropriety” during a traffic stop, Oklahoma City police Capt. Dexter Nelson told CNN last year. It snowballed from there.
Jurors heard stories of assault from 13 accusers, CNN affiliate KFOR reported.
The defense called just one witness, a former girlfriend of Holtzclaw, who testified that he read her Bible scriptures and that she never noticed any unusual or sexually aggressive behavior, KFOR said.
Schwab reported that the defense sought to undermine the credibility of the accusers, while prosecutors argued that Holtzclaw intentionally targeted vulnerable women.
The case is taking place amid heightened national focus on excessive force and the role of race in policing.
Last month, Benjamin Crump, an attorney known for his involvement in such high-profile cases as Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, visited the Oklahoma courthouse, KFOR reported.
“We come here to stand with these 13 victims of rape, who happen to be African-American women, to say that their lives matter, too,” Crump told reporters.
“There certainly seems to be a marginalization of their lives and their experiences. We will be here to make sure that this is not swept under the rug,” he said.
CNN’s Michael Martinez, Mayra Cuevas and Holly Yan contributed to this report.