Recently, Smith Blythe, PC came across the story of Quentin Carter. Carter was incarcerated for 17 years following a false conviction of a sexual assault involving a ten-year-old neighbor. There was speculation that another man, Aurelias Marshall, who lived with the neighbor and her mother, forced the girl into making a false accusation against Carter to get back at him for owing a debt. The girl, now a 32-year-old woman, broke her silence today and explained why she blamed Carter for the sexual abuse.
The woman, who did not disclose her name, said that she, her siblings, her mother and Marshall lived together for four years. Throughout those four years, she and her siblings faced physical abuse, and she also faced child sexual abuse. One of the sexual assaults forced her to go to the hospital with injuries, and once there she gave Quentin Carter’s name to the authorities.
At the time of the preliminary examination of Carter, the girl gave chilling testimony of a sexual assault by three men who randomly knocked on her door one day. She said she was forced outside and held down by them while one man sexually assaulted her. She also said that the other man, Carter, who she recognized as being her former neighbor, also sexually assaulted her that day. She explained that Carter “pulled his peter weter out and put it in her privacy.” Her testimony that day and during trial was extremely detailed down to the exact locations each person was standing, the clothing that they removed from her, and how the assault occurred.
However, none of this was true, it was all false and made up by Marshall to cover his sexual abuse of the girl. Marshall pulled Carter’s name at random from a trashcan that was close to their home. Marshall believed that Carter would be perfect to blame the abuse on because he was only 16 and lived in close proximity to the girl. The other two men were completely made up. The girl was repeatedly beat with an extension cord by Marshall until she got the story that Marshall made up straight for police and her court appearances.
Seventeen years later, the woman admitted that she went to the Kent County prosecutor’s office more than once to inform them that Carter was really innocent. The office even has documentation showing that she visited them and what she talked about, but no one believed her. She eventually came forward with this story because Marshall is facing life in prison for murder, and she was interviewed by law enforcement about it. She said that she has been forced to live with the regret of knowing that Carter was innocent for years.
Smith Blythe, PC highly commends this woman for eventually coming forward. However, most people that make false allegations against an innocent party never end up coming forward and admitting they lied about those allegations.
Our office is no stranger to handling false allegations of criminal sexual conduct made by children. We have dealt with numerous cases where allegations have been made up as part of a divorce to get child custody and an array of different situations. If you or a loved one is facing charges of criminal sexual conduct in Oakland, Wayne, or Macomb Counties, contact our office to set up a consultation.
To see Quentin Carter’s full story, click here.