Trial begins Monday for man accused of raping Ohio child who went to Indiana for abortion
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WISH) — A trial begins Monday in Columbus, Ohio, for the man accused of raping and impregnating a child in Ohio who then had to travel to Indiana for an abortion.
Gerson Fuentes, 27, is facing two counts of felony rape of a minor under age 13, according to court documents accessed by News 8.
Police say the victim in the case was 9 years old when she was raped, and 10 years old when she had the abortion in Indianapolis on June 30.
A detective testified in July that Fuentes admitted during a police interview — through an interpreter — that he raped the girl at least twice. He later pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The rapes took place between January 1 and May 12, 2022, according to the indictment.
Prosecutors say DNA testing confirms Fuentes was the father of the girl’s aborted fetus.
Authorities became aware of the girl’s pregnancy in late June through a referral by a local children’s services department that the child’s mother made. Columbus police were alerted on June 22 and began their investigation the same day.
Fuentes’ defense team has previously said they want to view body camera footage of Fuentes’ arrest to ensure police protocol was followed. His attorneys have also questioned the validity of his confession and the DNA results tying him to the crime.
According to the Franklin Court Municipal Court, Fuentes is being held on a $2 million bond.
His trial starts at 9 a.m. Monday in Franklin County Municipal Court in Columbus, Ohio.
The case drew global attention as details emerged that the child had to travel to Indiana to get an abortion after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. After the court’s decision, abortion at six weeks or later became illegal in Ohio. Since the girl’s procedure, Indiana has passed a law banning most abortions.
Indianapolis-based OB-GYN Dr. Caitlin Bernard confirmed that she helped the girl have an abortion in Indiana after a child abuse doctor in Ohio reached out to her. The young girl was six weeks and three days into the pregnancy at the time of the abortion, Bernard told CNN.
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita claims Bernard failed to follow child abuse reporting rules in the case, telling Fox News over the summer that she was an “abortion activist acting as a doctor.”
Bernard’s attorneys say she followed “all relevant policies, procedures, and regulations” in the case.
The doctor sued Rokita in November, arguing that the attorney general’s office was justifying the investigation with “frivolous” consumer complaints filed by people who weren’t even her patients and had no knowledge of the girl’s case. The lawsuit was voluntarily dropped in December.
A state medical licensing board hearing is scheduled for Feb. 23 to determine the status of her license.