Woman in rape case sent photograph of herself to Strip shooting suspect
A woman who said she was raped by Strip shooting suspect Ammar Harris sent the self-proclaimed pimp a mobile phone photograph of herself smiling days after the alleged sexual assault, a defense witness testified Thursday.
The technology expert testified he was able to find the photograph on Harris’ mobile phone.
Harris’ lawyers have said the sex with the woman was consensual and the woman only claimed she was sexually assaulted after he took $600 from her purse.
In a separate case, Harris faces murder charges in connection with a Strip shooting that resulted in three deaths in February. Closing arguments are expected Friday in the week-old sexual assault and robbery trial.
On Thursday, jurors also heard from Harris’ former lover and roommate Briana Wright, who said Harris tried to “turn her out” — slang for coercing a woman into working as a prostitute.
Wright testified that Harris told her to work at the Little Darlings strip club and that her legitimate job at a greeting card company wasn’t bringing in enough money.
Wright said she never worked as a stripper or a prostitute.
She also said Harris told her he had choked two women, including the sexual assault victim, who were staying with them and working as strippers.
Harris had denied to police that he was a pimp, though he embraced that lifestyle on numerous social media posts, the Review-Journal found.
During an interview with detectives played for the jury earlier in the trial, Harris said the alleged victim and her high school friend, Ashley, were “choosing up,” a slang term indicating that women want a man to be their pimp or “daddy.”
Harris said he was “naive” when it came to women and denied forcing the woman to have sex with him. He said the sex was consensual.
District Judge Kathleen Delaney issued an order last week that prohibits the use of Ashley’s last name during the trial.
Earlier in the trial, the alleged victim told the jury that she had no sexual interest in Harris and was surprised when he joined her in the shower in June 2010. She told him she didn’t want to “do anything,” but he forced her to perform oral sex on him before raping her.
The Review-Journal generally does not publish the names of sexual assault victims without their permission.
About two weeks later, she accused Harris of choking her and stealing $600 from her wallet.
Harris, 27, is set to stand trial Dec. 2 in the fatal shooting of reputed pimp Kenneth “Kenny” Clutch Cherry Jr. The two were driving separate vehicles on the Strip early in the morning of Feb. 21 when Cherry was shot, causing him to crash his car into a taxi.
The cab then burst into flames, killing the driver, Michael Boldon, and his passenger, Sandra Sutton-Wasmund of Maple Valley, Wash.
Prosecutors plan to seek a death sentence if Harris is convicted in the murder case, and a sexual assault conviction could help them persuade a jury to choose that punishment.
Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@review journal.com or 702-380-1039.
