Day four of Josh Duggar’s child sex abuse trial has begun and The Ashley is in the Fayetteville, Arkansas, courtroom reporting the events as they unfold.
(As you may know, the former 19 Kids and Counting star is being charged with receiving and possessing child p0rnography.)
- Josh’s wife, Anna Duggar, is in attendance once again, along with her uncle and brother-in-law David Waller.
- Derick Dillard, husband of Jill Duggar Dillard, is also in the courtroom today, and is sitting with the family.
- Joy Duggar Forsyth and husband Austin Forsyth are sitting away from the rest of the family.
- James Fottrell of the Department of Justice Child Exploitation in Washington, D.C., has taken the stand again. (Click here to read what he revealed during Day 3 of the trial.)
- James Fottrell testified that Josh’s laptop once had a torrent browser– technology that allows for the transfer of files and other data between multiple computers/users– but it did not at the time that the laptop was seized. (The actual desktop computer from Josh’s office, as well as his actual laptop, were shown in court as evidence.)
- Josh was allegedly sending texts to his sisters, Anna, and others asking them to pray for someone who he saw get into a car accident around the same time he was downloading CSA images.
- Josh allegedly texted Anna that he was busy at work with a customer within minutes of downloading a zip containing CSA images.
- Screenshots of the texts Josh sent out within an hour of the CSA being downloaded were shown to the court. They clearly showed Josh and Anna’s phone numbers, as well as the phone numbers of his sisters, Jessa Duggar Seewald and Jill, whom he was texting.
- Photos (including one taken of Anna on Josh’s phone) prove that Josh went shopping at Lowe’s on May 14, 2019, the same day that graphic zip files and videos of CSA were downloaded to his work computer. It appears that they were shopping for a front door.
UPDATE 1:
- Defense is cross examining James Fottrell.
- Defense wants to know why the router in the office of Josh’s car lot was not seized, seemingly indicating it should have been analyzed to see what devices were connected to it on the days in question.
UPDATE 2:
- Austin– initially sitting with Anna, Derick and others in the front row before Joy arrived to the courtroom, at which point he joined her near the back, as the front row was full– had his arm around Joy, appearing to comfort her.
UPDATE 3:
- Josh’s cellphone allegedly contained the iPhone version of a torrent browser and James Fottrell testified that the iPhone torrent browser was used to access adult p0rnography.
- Adult p0rnography was allegedly accessed from Josh’s iPhone (using the torrent browser) on four dates in mid-October.
- There was no CSA material found on Josh’s iPhone or his MacBook.
- James Fottrell testified that 100 percent of the CSA material was found on the desktop computer located in the office of Josh’s car lot. (The files were all located on the Linux partition side of the desktop computer, which James Fottrell testified that someone would have had to be physically present to install, and download the CSA files onto.
- According to James Fottrell, Josh was at the car lot every time CSA material was downloaded.
- If you are interested in reading the specific testimony James Fottrell gave regarding the computer equipment seized from Josh’s office (and are into the techy stuff), click here to access KNWA‘s report, which goes in to very good detail regarding what James testified about.
UPDATE 4:
- Bobye Holt, a close friend to the Duggars who testified at Monday’s pre-trial hearing, was at the courthouse today and slated to testify. Bobye’s husband Jim, an elder in the Duggar Family’s church, was also present. Bobye did not end up testifying, though, as the full day was spent with James Fottrell as the witness.
- The jury elected to allow Josh’s defense to finish their cross-exam of James Fottrell. Court was adjourned at 5:35 p.m., with the judge reminding the jury that they are not allowed to discuss the case with anyone over the weekend, nor can they read anything about the trial.
- The judge stated that court will begin again on Monday morning and that the trial is likely to go until Wednesday, when the jury would begin to deliberate.
The Ashley will continue to post live updates throughout the day. Stay tuned…
(Photos: The Ashley’s Reality Roundup)
39 Responses
What if JB or Josh himself has paid off a juror? There are rules but people will do anything for money these days. All it takes is ONE person to say they think he’s innocent. As a mother of four daughters ages 6, 3, 1.5 and 3mo, I’m sick. ??
I dont really understand the Tor browser and partitions, etc. So my concern is how good of a job is the prosecutor doing in explaining this to jurors. If jurors have reasonable doubt that someone else could have downloaded these images than he may go free.
I understand it better once I read someone else explaining it but the jurors arent getting the benefit of expanded explanations.
So were the texts and phone calls a decoy to make it look like his electronics were in use while his computer was downloading p0rn?
The way the “Covenant Eyes” expert described how Josh effectively had two computers, I don’t think he needed too but Anna may have been suspicious with no activity. What really disturbed me was Josh texted his sisters while downloading… he’s touching base with his victims while creating more.
No, they are being used to prove that he was at the lot at the time the materials were downloaded. Those details are working against him at this point. In one, he texted Anna he was stuck at work, effectively placing him at the car lot when it happened
Where did you find details?
That amazes me. I mean I know the children aren’t identified but still.
The Ashley has been attending the trial and has been in the courtroom this week.
Unfortunately, I read the extremely horrible details about the “content”.
It’s absolutely the worst of the worst. If you stumble upon those details, I HIGHLY recommend to click away. You really do not want to know.
20 years is not even close enough of what he deserves. Lock him up and throw away the key is the only fitting punishment.
Yes. 100%.
I unfortunately read the same article And I have been consumed by rage since. Life in prison it too damn good for him, 40 years is a smack in the face considering what these children went through for his viewing pleasure, there is only one cure for that kind of depravity and it’s to stop breathing.
I saw someone’s comment about some of it in a previous article months ago and honestly haven’t been able to shake it since.
It’s 20 year for each charge, so should he get max sentencing, he’ll get 40 years. He’d be 70 something should he get out alive.
I thought no press was allowed
So he was STILL looking at p0rn after all the crap he said when he was caught on Ashley Madison? ??♀️ Clearly he’s learned nothing. Their branch of Christianity is totally against p0rn of any kind and they see it as a violation of their wedding vows (it’s an insult to your future spouse if you’re not married). He really just does not give a shit.
His parents and church blamed it on Anna after the Ashley Madison thing, saying that a woman should be ever-available to do her “wifely duties” and if the husband isn’t satisfied, the wife needs to find out what to do to completely satisfy him so he won’t turn outside the marriage.
Because of course they believe that men can’t control themselves. Same reason the girls have to dress “modestly” and yell Nike if there’s a *gasp* girl with shorts on nearby.
Yes a religion teaching women are nothing but sex slaves and a never ending baby factory, what could go wrong?
Complete wackos, the both of them. I bet when they got home Anna let Josh diddle her with his little weiner. Just nasty, derranged people.
I’m thinking that’s why she wore the same dress 2 days in a row. She probably stayed overnight with him and didn’t have a change of clothes with her.
His nasty little wiener ???
The Ashley, thank you so much for all your reporting on this horrible case. I appreciate your trigger warnings, and how you phrase things carefully. I know I feared cases like this when I served jury duty, because I knew I couldn’t be stoic while hearing this kind of evidence. I’m praying for the abused victims, the Duggar girls, and all the jurors.
Thank you, the Ashley, for bearing witness to this disgusting yet undeniably important event, and working so hard to bring us the truth. I would wager that you are by far the most knowledgeable journalist in that courtroom, after years of watching the shows and breaking it down for us. I am glad that we have your fully informed take on proceedings.
Best of luck for your stay in Arkansas.
Why are Derick sitting with the family?! Argh! If Jill testifies on behalf of the defense, I’m going to lose my ever-lovin’ mind!
*Is* Why IS Derick sitting with the family?
You have to remember that Jill has no say in which side subpoenaed her. It was not her decision. If it was the defense, the only thing that matters is that Jill has the support she needs to tell her story. This is not about who is sitting with who, it’s about Josh going to prison for what he’s done.
You’re right, I didn’t think about that, but the fact that her husband is sitting with the family would indicate (to my simple mind) that she will be testifying *for* the defense.
Which, given my admittedly limited knowledge of the facts, would be…horrid.
I don’t think the defense would give Jill the chance to tell what Josh did to her, that would be opening Pandora’s box. She surely is there for the prosecution
I would also think her husband would totally NOT want her to defend Josh.
Will he sit by JB & MD?
really appreciate the ashley taking the time to head out to arkansas and having to sit through horrifying details and possibly seeing the images
The disgust I would feel knowing that monster was texting me while viewing child torture, as if he was trying to balance the scales for what he was doing, sorry your prayers don’t make up for you being a complete monster, nothing could. To think he believes as long as he believes in Jesus he will be welcomed into heaven… If these are the people allowed into heaven I’ll stay where I’m at.
He texted her to tell her he has a customer so she wouldn’t interrupt him watching his porn.
Exactly my thoughts, so he could stay late, alone, no body to catch him, and no interruptions while he….. Honestly I don’t even want to finish that sentence but we all know what happened next.
I really want to know what pedo sympathizer is disliking everyone’s comments… I was hoping Anna would be the only one deranged and brainwashed enough to support this foul excuse of a human.
Thank you for calling it child torture. Until all this came out I never gave a thought that porn is such a terribly wrong word for this, and even sex abuse doesn’t seem to really cover the depravity. These children were tortured in real life and filmed for people like Josh. If that doesn’t make you want to set fire to this entire planet I don’t know what would.
Thanks for doing this. Im sure it’s hard to sit through.
This guy and his daddy are so gross. The way his dad defends him leads me to believe he encourages this abuse and probably partakes in it somehow. Garbage.