Casper Sexual Assault Defendant Declines to Testify

Samuel Barrett, charged with multiple counts of sexual assault and related crimes, declined to testify on his own behalf during the last day of an eight-day trial in Natrona County District Court.

The prosecution and defense rested their cases, the defense did not call any witnesses, and the matter will go to the jury later today.

Barrett told Judge Daniel Forgey of his decision of his right to remain silent during a recess when the jurors had been dismissed.

Forgey also denied a motion from defense attorney Rob Oldham, who wanted the judge to acquit Barrett saying the prosecution had not met the burden of proof about the alleged sexual assaults, including the use of a gun that was never found, of two women recently and a girl five years ago. Likewise, Oldham said counts of production and possession of child pornography were based on an 11-second video.

The video of a girl simulating oral sex on an infant was among many videos, photos and audio recordings introduced by the prosecution to prove its case that Barrett is guilty of six counts of first-degree sexual assault (rape), two counts of sexual exploitation of children and one count of blackmail.

On Wednesday and Thursday morning, Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation agent Ryan Hieb testified that he researched the electronic devices Barrett used and found the recordings.

A large number of the recordings involved a girl, identified as A.H., and one file with the following conversation sent to a file that would have been difficult to find for someone without Barrett's computer skills.

The prosecution said Barrett coerced her into performing oral sex on an infant and made a brief video to use as blackmail.

Some of the audio recordings of Barrett's calls to A.H. were about that video.

Barrett told her that he hadn't heard from her, felt stupid about what happened, and that he had low self-confidence.

A.H. denigrated herself and told Barrett to forget about the incident.

At one point, Barrett responded, "you make me want to be a much better person; you deserve a person that is top-notch."

He wondered if he wasn't "touching her the right way," in one of the recordings, and "I don't know your body enough."

A.H. was about to move from Casper to go to school, she told him that they wouldn't be seeing each other that much, and he said that would be rough for him. "I love you and want to be in a relationship with you."

In another recorded conversation, A.H. said she was baking a birthday cake for her mother and they would be going out with a friend to celebrate.

Barrett said A.H. was ignoring him and that she was allegedly going out with a neighbor.

She tells Barrett repeatedly that she loves him, and she not running around with a bunch of kids.

The recording was in a store, and the background music was the synthpop song recorded in the 1980s by the group Naked Eyes, "Always Something There to Remind Me."