HENRICO, Va (WTVR) - Wednesday marks day two in the child sex crimes trial of a former Henrico cheerleading coach.
Tuesday three victims testified, and today the last two victims took the stand, discussing some of the more serious charges facing Maurice "Moe" Jerralds.
One of the indictments was dropped this afternoon because it was inconsistent with testimony from one of the victim's yesterday. Now Jerralds faces a total of 12 felony counts of indecent liberties with a minor.
The first victim on the stand today, who is now 17, said Jerralds began pursuing a sexual relationship with her when she was in the 8th grade. It allegedly began with Jerralds asking her to send him photos of her in her underwear and also in the nude.
The victim said Jerralds would talk to and text her all day long, from the time she woke up until the time she went to bed.
BONUS: Day 1 of trial coverage
She recalled one incident where Jerralds was driving her to a restaurant. She says he asked her to remove her pants and underwear, and then proceeded to fondle her.
She said the sexual relationship continued until the summer of her eighth grade year, when she refused a request from Jerralds to send a naked picture of herself. She said Jerralds called her and was extremely upset, demanding to know whether she had told her mother about the pictures. She said she had not.
The second victim to take the stand, now 19-years-old, said Jerralds began abusing her when she was 15. It began when Jerralds asked her to send him pictures of her naked, and to send sexually explicit videos.
The victim said that once, when she turned 16 and got a driver's license, she went over to Jerralds' home. She alleges that was when their first sexual encounter occurred. She says he fondled her on his couch.
The victim also said she went to Jerralds' home the night after her homecoming dance, to drink beer.
She alleges she had sexual intercourse several times with Jerralds that night after drinking. The victim also said that she would perform oral sex on Jerralds and have intercourse with him in his office at the gym.
The victim told the court she wanted to be with Jerralds.
"I loved him. I wanted to marry him," she said. "We were waiting until I was 18."
The relationship allegedly ended when her mother found explicit texts and emails between the two.
HOwever,the defense maintains that the allegations against Jerralds are the result of scheming and jealous girls who were angry over the attention Jerralds would show others, including his girlfriend. Two of Jerralds roommates testified that they never saw one of the alleged victims at the townhouse where they all lived.
Some former cheerleaders and parents took the stand on Wednesday, and said it was unusual for the coaches to be alone in the gym with the girls--evening during private lessons.
The prosecution rested this afternoon, and the defense plans to call one more witness to the stand on Thursday.
