Josh Duggar Downloaded Images And Video Of Children As Young As 7 Being “Violated,” Prosecutors Said
The jury heard graphic descriptions on Wednesday of the materials from prosecutors, while Duggar’s defense maintained the 33-year-old didn’t have the technical knowledge to discreetly browse the illegal content found on the computer.
“Hold him accountable,” US Assistant Attorney Dustin Roberts said Wednesday in his opening statement, looking at the jury and pointing at Duggar, who appeared in court but did not speak. His wife, Anna Duggar, sat in the gallery.
According to prosecutors, Duggar used a device that virtually “split” his HP desktop work computer into “two independent sides,” allowing him to use the computer at the used car dealership’s “shed-like” office for usual business purposes on one side while browsing illegal content on the other.
In one case, Duggar downloaded a series of images titled “Marissa.zip” which featured a girl about 8 years old exposing her genitals before eventually being put in a cage, Roberts said.
The first witness for the prosecution was Detective Amber Kalmer, who first began to investigate the child sexual abuse activity in June 2019.
She testified on Wednesday that she was able to download portions of the content recorded by her surveillance software. One video she saw contained “two prepubescent females, zoomed in on their vaginal areas, being penetrated by an adult man’s penis,” she said. Kalmer added she was also able to view images of nude young girls with a “focus on the vaginal area.” There were 65 images.
When she first reviewed the content in June 2019, she told the court she didn’t assume the activity was associated with any particular individual — she only had an IP address in Springdale, Arkansas, and alerted a law enforcement colleague there, who agreed to start an investigation. Law enforcement were able to ask the internet service provider who was connected with the specific IP address, leading them to Duggar, she said.