Assistant Criminal District Attorney Tarrant County District Attorney's Office
After pleading guilty to sexually assaulting his stepdaughter in the 90s, Mark Brooks was placed on deferred adjudication, but because the victim's mother was unprotective, he quickly moved back home. The victim, the oldest of 7 and the only non-biological child of the offender, had a caregiver role and a mandate to protect the family and protect the offender at all costs. Throughout her childhood, even with professional intervention, she did not outcry to subsequent abuse. When she came forward in her 30s, the police took her statement, confirmed that defendant had been previously charged, and got a warrant for his arrest. We will discuss the impact of the offender returning home and her mother’s actions on the victim’s disclosure, the challenges of tracking down witnesses from a decade prior, and the process by which additional corroborative records were uncovered. We will discuss trial preparation in a case that happened 32 years before the trial, what probations entailed and what records could be found, and the challenges of explaining the unique dynamics at play in a case with understandable complications.
Learning Objectives:
Develop strategies to combat arguments regarding victim credibility through corroboration and expert testimony.
Understand the impact of non-believing maternal caregivers in sexual abuse cases and the corrleation between domestic violence, family culture and delayed disclosure.
Observe techniques used by prosecution to track down vital information in a decades old case through probation and investigation records.
