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Kenneth Moreno's Wife Keeps Talking, Says Rape Accuser "Robbed Us Of So Many Things"

2011_05_kmorenoa.jpg
Former cop Kenneth Moreno during the rape trial (AP)

Yesterday, the NY Post published an interview with Julia Moreno, the wife of the (now former) police officer acquitted of raping a drunk East Village woman while on duty, where the weary spouse said the accuser "should go to jail for this" and should "go to hell." Now, the NY Times has run its interview with Mrs. Kenneth Moreno: She said the accuser made up a story, "From the beginning of time, this is what girls do — young girls, inexperienced. They’re not mature. They get drunk. They do these things and, you know, they want sympathy. In his case I believe she wanted sympathy from her friends because they threw her out of her own party."

Kenneth Moreno admitted that he flirted and cuddled with the accuser, but insisted he never had sexual relations with her. He also said she stripped down her to bra and rubbed her butt against him as he sang Bon Jovi to her. And, when confronted by a tape made by the accuser where he admits to using a condom while having sex with her, Moreno said he only told her that to calm her down outside the police precinct. However, Moreno and his partner, Franklin Mata, were seen visiting the woman's apartment repeatedly throughout the night and Moreno made a fake 911 call so they could get assigned to the area.

Julia Moreno, 28, told the Times with ("tears streaming down beneath her sunglasses and her lip gloss caking at the corner of her mouth"), "Because of this woman’s allegations, our whole life has completely changed... She robbed not only me, not only him, she robbed our kids of quality time. She robbed us of so many things." While she was angry that her husband cuddled with the near-naked accuser, Julia Moreno explained why she believes him:

Ms. Moreno also said that certain things about the rape claims defied possibility, like the fact that no DNA evidence was found.

“Being a realist, you know that deed is a messy business,” she said.

She also said the accuser’s claims that she heard Velcro tearing from Mr. Moreno’s bullet-resistant vest was implausible because to her knowledge, he never undid the Velcro when he removed his vest — in fact, he yelled at her once, she said, because she undid all the straps when washing his vest.

Julia Moreno is also angry that people, in spite of her husband's acquittal, still think he's guilty, "[They] just want to assume that she’s a victim when, obviously, 12 people saw otherwise; it’s sad to see that they’re reacting like that."

Kenneth Moreno was interviewed by the Daily News, and he raged against the Manhattan DA's office, "I had faith in the DA's office, especially because I was innocent... I guess they had to continue. I am so very confused. I think it was more politics than criminal." He added, "I know what happened. I didn't suffer from any blackouts. There was no sexual contact between me and that young lady. I find it hard to believe that people can't believe a gentleman said no."

Update (9/9/11): Gothamist has published a long-form feature about the Rape Cop case, written by one of the jurors. It takes you behind the scenes during their deliberations, and explains how they came to their controversial verdict. Buy it today as a PDF or on Kindle.


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Comments [rss]

  • Interesting that Ms. Julia Moreno can speak on behalf of ALL "young women". What social psychology background does Ms. Moreno have to come with her comment of, "From the beginning of time, this is what girls do — young girls, inexperienced. They’re not mature. They get drunk. They do these things and, you know, they want sympathy." What credibility or part does she have in all of this? She is very unapologetic in making women rape victims look as merely regretful drunks. 
    So on behalf of all feminists thank you for validating that women like YOU simply reinforce stereotypes in our society.
    Oh by the way. Now that we are in the topic of women- how does it feel to know that your husband was cuddling the "young, inexperience girl" on the job. 

  • pixiedust8

    Yes, every young woman who wants to get back at friends who left her makes up a detailed rape story, accuses a cop, and goes through a rape examination and a lengthy trial.

    Is it any surprise that a man like this could only find a complete moron to marry him?

  • proudliberal1947

    Lets see I am a woman and have been drinking and I am in the custody of two of NYPD's finest. So I am going to yell rape, go to the Emergency room, file charges then make up a consistent story, however their is certain pieces of evidence either missing or lacking and the offenders walk free and the accuser is re-victimized. Yes, and I will demand face time with the media both before and after so I can further humiliate myself.

    Does anyone else see anything wrong with this story, yes I concede that some women file false claims and yes the numbers are small, but this is way, way, way out there.

    The cops wife with the bad case of diarrhea of the mouth gives a stronger case that the cop was guilty and she suspected but is relieved that it went her way. This is wrong man way so wrong.

    Maybe, just maybe they'll be enough heat kept on to nullify these morons and make them inconsequential so the Department has to let them go.

  • JackBrat

    Oh-  . . ."it's the accusers fault. . .that so much was taken from her life. . ." 
    . . .and NOT her dumb-ass moronic, now ex-cop husband.  It seems to me that these low-end two deserve each other. . .  ( They'll probably be divorced in a year or so )!!   

  • randomtransplant

    I'm kinda thinking the NYT is a  pile of urine soaked rag for giving this Soprano wannabe satan-couple the time of day.

    They didn't even scoop the story, the Post did.

    "he said, before being cut off midsentence by his wife, Julia, who tapped his knee and chimed in"

    They arn't even reporting "just the facts". Thats editorializing them into normalcy for the sake of an interview.

    I hope soon they'll interview some rape victims talking about how intimidation and tabloid journalism don't make their lives any easier.

  • Mr. Know-It-All

    I have to wonder what your response would be if the Post or the Times went in to interview the woman and she said she was leaving her husband because she can not longer trust him and she'd rather stand with the alleged rape victim. I guess then we'd all be praising her courage.

    So should they have ditched the story when she started to speak her mind? Why? Because women like her shouldn't be heard in polite, educated society? What kind of journalism would that be?

  • randomtransplant

    A good story shows its characters growing through the progression of the plot.

    A good interview has something of merit to say.

    A good newspaper can (used to?) suss out the difference between click generators and puerility.

  • Mr. Know-It-All

    Look back over your last two comments. First, it's bad journalism because "They aren't even reporting 'just the facts'." Now, it's a bad story because the characters aren't shown "growing through the progression of the plot." First, they're "normalizing"; now you're narrativizing.

    Both good journalism and good stories relate human conflict, and human drama is often full of error, contradiction, and ambiguity. One can admire this woman's loyalty and steadfastness while balking at her version of the facts. The truth of her love, her marriage vows, her jealousy, her anger--whatever motivates her to speak--might just transcend the facts. In any case, her story is certainly part of the larger plot, isn't it?

  • randomtransplant

    The interview & the decision to run it are disgusting. People who buy into it such as yourself are misguided at best.

    Save the bother. I don't seriously consider what you have to say about it. As far as I'm concerned what I find trashy and amoral arn't opinions you'll change.

  • Mr. Know-It-All

    I may sometimes be misguided, but at least I'm not permanently yoked to an elitist ideology that won't have it's morning coffee disturbed by "disgusting" stories.

    And, frankly, I'm not the least concerned with changing your smug opinion about what's "trashy and amoral"; I doubt anything could.

  • randomtransplant

    misguided, with a tea-partiers understanding of the word elitist.

  • Mr. Know-It-All

    Tea-partier? Boy, you're really losing your nerve. As long as you're trotting out the usual suspects, why not Nazi? Fascist? Come on! You can do better than that.

  • sabrina harris

    The wife repeats that there was no DNA. He admitted to wearing a condom on tape. She cant be denying he was in the victim's bed while she was puking and almot naked. He admitted that much, probably to cover his ass because he figured his DNA might be in the bed as hair or skin. But the schemer knew enought to get a condom and I guess he and his lookout did a thorough clean up job during thier four visits to her apartment. The fact that there was no DNA at all is suspicious, considering he claims he was "cuddling" and rubbing her back and singing bon jovi to her.

  • jill_nyc

    maybe if your husband didn't "cuddle" her with a condom, your lives wouldn't be so different... the girl robbed them of so many things? More like dirtbag robbed her of free will.

  • unretrofiedforu

    Is it misogynistic of me to ask to see how the woman looks like? 

  • Guest

    it's "how the woman looks," or "what the woman looks like."

  • whatidsay

    Perhaps not misogynistic, but somewhat illiterate to  "see how the woman looks like".  

  • GalBklyn

    ugh.... enough. My only solace is that she is making an utter fool out of herself and her [] husband.

    Sad to say, next thing we'll see is that the two get a reality tv show... Heaven help us. 

  • NYCreader1980

    "From the beginning of time, this is what girls do — young girls,
    inexperienced. They’re not mature. They get drunk. They do these things
    and, you know, they want sympathy. In his case I believe she wanted
    sympathy from her friends because they threw her out of her own party."

    Regardless of this case, I find this woman's remarks disgusting. What a lovely message to send out there to REAL RAPE VICTIMS - "You silly little drunk girls! Stop getting drunk & crying rape because you feel humiliated!" Blame the victim, much?

  • robingee

    “Being a realist, you know that deed is a messy business,” 
    What a clunky sentence.

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