Josh Duggar‘s trial for receiving and possessing child p0rnography is due to start on November 30, but on Thursday, the pre-trial conference was held in Arkansas. Also this week, a number of motions (filed by both Josh and his team, as well as prosecutors) were decided upon or discussed in detail.
Josh’s ever-loyal wife, Anna, was by Josh’s side on Thursday, holding hands with him as he walked in and out of the courthouse.
Since wading through all the legal stuff is harder than keeping Jim Bob and Michelle from humping, The Ashley has composed this handy-dandy guide to some of the most-important motions, rulings and other important things that happened this week in regard to Josh and the trial.
#JoshDuggar Pretrial Conference underway now. Our team is in the courtroom. Judge Brooks ruled on a host of motions filed by both sides in the upcoming Josh #Duggar child porn trial.
Latest here: https://t.co/oswcWX4UUU
We're not allowed to tweet from inside.
#NWAnews #ARnews pic.twitter.com/2tOVNsjsaw
— Garrett Fergeson (@Garrett_Photo) November 18, 2021
Anyway, here’s a few important things that happened this week in regard to the trial. (Please note this is not a full list of things that were decided this week.)
The prosecution wants Josh’s previous molestations to be brought up at the trial; Josh and his defense don’t. (Status: Not yet decided)
According to KNWA, a good portion of Thursday’s pre-trial conference was spent discussing whether or not Josh’s history of child molestation should be included at this trial.
The prosecution has made it known that it plans to use the fact that Josh admitted to (but was never charged for) molesting four of his underage sisters, as well as another minor female, back when he was a teen himself. The prosecutors asked the court to use Josh’s history of molestation during his trial, as they say it shows his alleged “sexual interest in young girls.”
Josh’s defense team responded, saying that these molestations may not have even occurred, despite Josh and his family previously admitting that they happened.
An attorney for the prosecution stated in court that there is a “preponderance of evidence” that the alleged molestations occurred, and that “one or two witnesses will testify to multiple instances of child molestation” were committed by a young Josh.
He also stated that all of the victims were girls who were “at least three years younger” than Josh was at the time the molestations occurred. (Josh was 14 at the time.)
One of Josh’s lawyers stated in court that he “disagrees adamantly” with the prior molestation scandal being part of this trial.
The judge has not yet decided on this.
Josh requests statements he made in 2015, about having an addiction to p0rnography & that he had an affair, be kept out of the trial. (Status: APPROVED)
As you may remember, it was revealed in August 2015 that Josh had been using the cheating website AshleyMadison.com to have an affair. After he was caught, Josh admitted to having the affair and, in a statement that was posted to his family’s Facebook page, claimed to have an addiction to viewing p0rnography. (The statement was quickly edited and all mentions of p0rn were eliminated.)
“I have been the biggest hypocrite ever,” Josh’s original statement read. “While espousing faith and family values, I have secretly over the last several years been viewing p0rnography on the Internet and this became a secret addiction and I became unfaithful to my wife.”
While the prosecution wanted the original statement included in the trial, claiming it “tends to show his motive, intent, knowledge, or plan to commit the crimes charged.”
Josh also wants there to be no mention of the fact that he has been unfaithful to Anna in the past.
“He contends that his alleged involvement with the Ashley Madison website and
subsequent admission that he might have been unfaithful to his wife are facts that are
irrelevant to the crimes charged,” court papers read.
The judge agreed with Josh & Co., ruling that there can be no mention of Josh’s admitting in 2015 that he committed adultery or that he had an addiction to adult p0rnography.
Josh requests a statement made by Special Agent Faulkner be kept out of the trial. The statement was that a child sex abuse video allegedly found on Josh’s computer was “in the top five of the worst-worst” he’s had to see. (Status: APPROVED)
Back in May, an agent working on Josh’s case stated in court at Josh’s detention hearing that a particular child sex abuse video allegedly found on Josh’s computer was some of the worst he’s ever had to see. Josh’s team argued that it was simply this agent’s opinion that some child sex abuse materials are worse than other. The court agreed, ruling that the Special Agent’s statement can not be used at the trial.
Prosecution announced that they plan to call Jim Bob Duggar, as well as Bobbie Holt, as witnesses… but Jim Bob is nowhere to be found. (Status: NOT YET DECIDED)
Among the witnesses that may be called by the prosecution to testify at the trial are Josh’s own father, Jim Bob, and Bobbie Holt. While The Ashley can’t 100 percent confirm this is the correct “Bobbie Holt,” it’s believed that this is the matriarch of the Holt Family, who were once very close to the Duggars. It is rumored that one of Bobbie’s daughters was once betrothed to Josh, but the courtship was called off after his early molestations were discovered. Josh once worked on the campaign of Bobbie’s husband, Jim Holt, for State Senator.
Interestingly, according to KNWA, Jim Bob has been “impossible to reach.” Bobbie Holt, however is “already under subpoena.”
Because of these new witnesses, the judge has called a evidentiary hearing to be held before the trial begins.
Prosecution requests that Josh & Co. be forbidden to blame someone else for all of the child sex abuse materials being downloaded on Josh’s computer. (Status: DENIED)
Prosecutors wanted to bar Josh from suggesting to the jury that someone else may have committed the crimes on his computer. They also named three individuals whom they feel Josh & his legal team may try to blame the downloading of the child p0rnography on. The judge stated that it is within the defense’s rights to create reasonable doubt by “pointing the finger at others who may have possibly committed the crimes.”
Josh’s trial will begin November 30.
(Photos: Instagram; TLC; Twitter)
28 Responses
Filthy cnut.
So they want to deny molesting his sisters, & blame others for utting this shit on his PC…. I wonder how that’s gonna fly!
Also have to wonder what Jessa, Jill, Jinger & Joy are all thinking & feeling about daddy dearest choosing Josh over them!! Fkn bs!
Oh you know Derrick is going to tell them where Jim Bob is
Too bad Kyle Rittenhouse didn’t find him first…
It’s good that the statements regarding p0rn addiction were kicked out– you know he has a thumper lawyer, and in a thumper courtroom with a thumper jury, that kind of addiction might be considered a mitigating factor in his crimes.
With anyone else, I’d say that’s a good thing, bc it would show that the defendant was aware of his problem and allowed to let it escalate by the same environment that let him get away with it the first time. However, the same people who’d draw a hard line at excusing that kind of behavior with mental issues are usually the same folk who see righteous folk like themselves as easily swayed by the devil’s influence when they screw up.
They wouldn’t view it as “he has an addiction, he needs help!” but as “worldly temptations caused a righteous man to stumble”.
She really believes, he will be found innocent, she believes, this is all lies and josh is telling the truth, she still has the kids around him.
Disgusting.
Disgusting. Sorry but all these scumbag defendants get so many ridiculous loopholes, perks, tricks, an endless lists of special rights, etc. It’s sickening. Prosecutors have to do backflips to get anywhere. Half the time it’s 100% crystal clear the person is guilty but unless they’re literally on 5 different videos committing the crime and describing it as they go, forget about justice. It’s like here are 142 reasons this person is the suspect and everyone’s like, well maybe he’s just unlucky, those 142 things could ALLLLL simultaneously be coincidences.
Mainly I’m talking about murder cases but same thing here. He’s gonna walk on this.
My stomach is turning. Can’t shake the feeling he will walk.
Same. It’s truly sickening.
I agree. I definitely think he’ll get off with some community service or some crap and then he’ll go back to doing the same stuff because why not….he never had to learn a lesson!
Tick tick tick……I bet Josh is sleeping less and less, finally seeing that court date, and thinking that Daddy might not be able to get him out of this fine mess.
Even if he does manage to get his history of molesting his sisters thrown out, and all the rest….there is no way that the jurors on this case haven’t seen or heard about it in his home state. It’s in their mind somewhere, and although you have to be a fair juror and play with the evidence handed to you….I know that if it were me, and I was listening to all the evidence we know they have, those little nuggets in my mind wouldnt need to be added in.
Let’s just hope Josh spends his Christmas in the BIG HOUSE, and I don’t mean the one that Jim Boob runs.