No photo of lover found on phone
Missouri governor on trial for felony invasion of privacy
ST. LOUIS — A special examiner extracted thousands of images from the cellphone of Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens “and none were found” of a woman whom the governor is charged with photographing while she was at least partially naked, Greitens’ attorney said Friday.
As jury selection entered its second day, Greitens’ attorney Jim Martin urged the judge in the Republican governor’s criminal trial to halt the evidence-gathering phase of the investigation that has been going on for four months.
“We believe the time has come to shut this all down,” Martin told St. Louis Circuit Judge Rex Burlison, who made no immediate ruling.
Greitens, 44, faces a felony invasion-of-privacy charge for allegedly taking and transmitting the image in a way that could be accessed by a computer. The penalty for first-degree invasion of privacy is up to four years in prison.
The woman, whose name has not been released by authorities, has testified that Greitens bound her hands to exercise equipment in March 2015 in the basement of his St. Louis home, blindfolded her and removed her clothes before she saw a flash and heard what sounded like the click of a cellphone camera. She has said Greitens threatened to disseminate the photo if she spoke of their encounter but later told her he had deleted it.
It’s not clear whether the cellphone that was examined this week is the same one that Greitens had in 2015.
Greitens has acknowledged having what he says was a consensual affair and has denied criminal wrongdoing, but he has declined to directly answer questions about whether he took the photo. He said the affair started and ended in 2015, as he was preparing to run for governor. Greitens was elected in November 2016.
The trial proceedings began Thursday with potential jurors filling out a questionnaire and, in some cases, answering questions from attorneys. Opening arguments originally were expected to begin Monday, but Burlison acknowledged the process was taking longer than anticipated. He said some people who were supposed to be questioned Friday would instead have to be pushed back until Monday, which would delay arguments and testimony until later next week.
The high stakes in the case were evident during jury selection. One prospective juror who works at the Missouri Department of Transportation was questioned Friday for nearly 30 minutes.