Accused child rapist may resume questioning victims

Bulletin: The Court sentenced Ackors to seven consecutive life terms in prison following his conviction.Compiled from published reports
Waco – When Jeffrey Ackors questioned two little girls about allegations of continuing sexual abuse at his trial on Tuesday, they both cried. 

He told the judge he may resume questioning of his alleged victims again today. 

Mr. Ackors is defending himself against the charges, though 54th District Court Judge Matt Johnson has appointed an attorney as a standby to see to it that he receives a fair trial. 

Members of the gallery at the trial described the eerie feelings caused by Mr. Ackors's behavior in his self defense. In his cross examination of his victims, observers said he repeatedly referred to himself in the third person, as “the defendant.” 

When he called his own sister to the witness stand, she told the Court that the allegations against her brother are true. She said he frequently took one of the girls, who are aged 8 and 10, to bed with him at his home in Hallsburg and in Waco. She told the Court that she told him what he was doing was wrong. 

Mental health experts often agree that sexually assaultive behavior against children is not actually so much about sexual gratification as it is about exercising power through violent means against a helpless child. 

According to a handbook for Texas victims' advocates, the actor not only assaults the child, but also impairs the ability of the victim to assess the degree of trust that should be placed in persons with whom there is a power imbalance, sometimes for life.

In the presentation of evidence against Mr. Ackors, prosecutors elicited testimony from his victims alleging that he threatened to hurt them if they told anyone about his sexual relations with them. 

Prosecutors rested their case yesterday afternoon. Mr. Ackors has subpoenaed two witnesses from the Dallas area who will appear this morning. 

He has elected to be tried by the judge for his alleged offenses, and to have the Court assess his punishment if found guilty. 

The offense of continuing sexual abuse against a child of less than 14 years of age carries the possibility of a life sentence, or for any term of not more than 99 years or less than 25.