This case is about power.
Power wielded in the wrong pan.
On March 9th of 2021, the defendant,
Aaron von Elinger wielded that
power against a 19 year old intern
and overcame her resistance.
And he forced her.
To allow his penis inside of her her mouth.
And he forced his finger
inside of her vagina.
Now, during the course of this trial,
you will learn that in February of 2021.
JV was just 19 years old.
And she was living out or working
towards her career aspirations.
And she was working as an intern
at the Idaho State Capitol,
helping representatives with various task.
At that same time,
the defendant was at the Capitol in
his capacity as a state representative.
And it's there at that capital
where he met JV and he began
to interact and seek her out.
You will learn that during one
of these interactions he gave.
This 19 year old intern,
his state representative card.
That had his cell phone number
handwritten on the back.
And during these interactions you
will learn that the defendant,
who was 38 years old at the time,
asked this 19 year old intern out on a date.
And that date was set for March 9.
And on March 9th,
the defendant picked up JV a
block away from the state Capitol
and drove her to barbacoa.
Were the two had dinner.
The defendant then took JD
back to his apartment,
where he was staying while
the session was going.
This is where the rape and
forcible penetration took place.
You will learn that JB tried to resist.
That she tried to make excuses.
You will learn that she said
she wasn't on birth control.
That she hadn't shared.
That she wasn't ready.
That they could get in trouble.
That she didn't want to.
That he was hurting her.
And she told him no.
He didn't stop.
And he didn't listen to J.
Instead, he inserted his finger inside
of her vagina without her consent.
Despite her objections,
despite her resistance,
you will learn that the
defendant got on top of Jay-Z,
and he straddled her with his knees,
pinning her arms down.
And from this position of power and control
he forced his penis inside of her mouth.
Now you will learn that Jamie actually
sustained injuries to her head.
From where the defendant was pulling her
hair and forcing her head into the headboard.
You'll learn he eventually took
his penis out of her mouth.
But then from this position of power control
he began to manually stimulate himself
until he ejaculated on her stomach. Now,
JD didn't report this rate in sexual assault.
Until March 11th.
When she next had to return to
the state Capitol and face the
man that had just raped her.
Now you'll learn and hear from
J's mother Sherrie Davis.
And she'll talk to you about an early
morning phone call she got on March 11th.
Should talk to you about how this
was an unusual time for her to read.
Be receiving a phone call from JV
and she will describe JV's demeanor
and tone during that phone call.
She will also describe how the events
of March 9th. Destroyed J's world?
And shattered her confidence.
And you'll learn that when JV went
to the state capitol on March 11th.
She immediately informed the assistant
Sergeant of Arms, Kimberly Blackburn.
And you'll hear from Miss Blackburn,
and she will talk to you about that
interaction she had with Jamie that morning.
She will talk to you about her appearance,
her demeanor, her tone,
her emotional state.
And you'll learn that this was reported to
the Boise Police Department and detectives,
Monty Iverson and Brandon
Joseph were assigned.
They responded to the state capitol and
met with JV and eventually escorted her
to faces of hope in downtown Boise.
You'll learn that it was there
that a sexual assault examination
was done and swabs were taken from
various locations on JJ's body,
including her stomach,
where the defendant had ejaculated.
Now these swabs were then sent to
the Idaho State Police forensics
lab for testing and comparison to
a sample that was collected from
the defendant by Detective Joseph.
And you will learn that this sample
matched that sample that was taken
from J's stomach.
Now the forensic scientist that
did this comparison, Eric seat,
isn't available to testify on
Wednesday due to kind of a backlog
in cases due to COVID,
and so the state may call him out
of order to ensure that this trial
proceeds in an orderly and efficient manner.
I don't want that to take you guys off guard.
You will also learn about the
dynamics of sexual violence and rape
through Doctor Laura King who's
a professor here at BSU.
And she will talk to you about
the late disclosures
and how they're actually quite common.
And they're normal.
And they occur in most cases.
She will also discuss that there is actually
3 human responses to traumatic events,
fight, flight, or freeze.
She will also talk to you about how trauma
and how the hormones released during a
traumatic event can affect the victim.
Ladies and gentlemen,
over the course of this week.
The state.
Will present evidence that proves beyond
a reasonable doubt, that the defendant.
Used his power, both social and physical.
To overcome JJ's resistance to
his unwanted sexual advances.
The evidence will prove that on March
9th of 2021, Aaron Vaughn Ellinger.
Forced his penis inside of her mouth.
And that he forcibly penetrated
her vagina with his finger.
And for those actions, he is guilty,
guilty to both charges.
And after you have heard that evidence.
The state will return to you and ask
that you find him guilty as charged.