Gerson Fuentes pleads not guilty to raping 9-year-old girl although he already confessed

Is he hoping to get away with it?

Gerson Fuentes pleaded not guilty to raping a 9-year-old girl.

He was arrested after the girl had to get an abortion.

Why is he contradicting himself now? A man identified as Gerson Fuentes, who was arrested and charged with raping and impregnating a 9-year-old girl, pleaded not guilty at a hearing on Monday, July 25, despite having already confessed to the crime.

A case that became a flashpoint in the national abortion debate returned to court in Franklin County, Ohio on Monday. Undocumented immigrant Gerson Fuentes, 27, who allegedly impregnated a girl when she was nine years old, was processed by video from jail. Through an interpreter, the defendant pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape, according to ABC 6.

Did Gerson Fuentes take back his confession?

The case has become a dramatic example in the abortion rights debate. The girl, who is now 10 years old, was forced to travel to get an abortion from a doctor in Indiana after her family said that she had not been able obtain one in Ohio, reported ABC 6.

The police said that Gerson Fuentes had already confessed to having raped the girl on at least two occasions. Ohio’s «heartbeat law» prohibits abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which typically happens after about six weeks of pregnancy. According to ABC 6, the victim was just days past the six-week limit when she had to travel to Indiana to terminate her pregnancy.

Could his lack of English have complicated Gerson Fuentes’ statement?

Defense attorney Bryan Bowen said that, while police claim Gerson Fuentes confessed to the rapes, they will examine police reports, body camera footage and other documents to see if they should challenge the legitimacy of the confession.

“There are certainly rules governing when a statement to a police officer is admissible and when it is not. My immediate concern is Mr. Fuentes’s lack of fluency in English and whether that may impact what he is supposed to have said or not said,” Argued Bowen.

Dramatic case fuels US abortion debate

«I certainly do think it is a shame that this situation has turned into a political football that is being kicked around by a lot of people for their own benefit, rather than focusing on the facts of what may or may not have happened here,» Bowen said. In this sense, anti-abortion activists and some politicians raised doubts about the legitimacy of the case and whether there really was a 10-year-old girl who had an abortion.

Even President Biden brought up the case in an attempt to underscore the effects of the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Roe v. Wade. “It’s really too early to say. Certainly, this is an issue that is a flashpoint in our society and I don’t think it can help but have some impact, but I think it is too early to judge what that is going to be. Certainly, it is something I am concerned about,» Bowen said.

Fuentes is still being held without bail

Arrested Gerson Fuentes. Photo: Franklin County Jail

According to ABC 6, no bond was set on Monday for Gerson Fuentes, something his attorney Bowen said he plans to fight. “I believe everyone here is entitled to as the Constitution states a presumption of innocence and I think it is important we fight for our clients. It’s important that we demonstrate to them and to everyone else that this is someone who is presumed innocent and is deserving of a bond.»

In turn, the lawyer added: “I suspect the Immigration enforcement agency has issued an immigration holder in his case. Which means even if he were able to post a bond he would not be released.»