Trice takes the stand in his own defense following blistering testimony from more alleged victims.
John David Trice adamantly denied sexually abusing young boys when he took the stand in his own defense Wednesday in the 266th Judicial District Court in Erath County.
The 78-year-old defendant told his attorney David Stokes that he never touched his four accusers in a sexual manner while they worked for him on his Lingleville ranch and denied having pornography inside his home or using it to groom his underage victims.
Trice also denied having sex with a horse.
DISTURBING ALLEGATIONS
Trice smiled when he talked about how many young men he helped financially over the years – things like buying trucks, paying for dental bills and giving the boys extra spending money.
His testimony followed blistering accusations by two more of his alleged victims.
One of those victims, now 25, said Trice began abusing him in the summer of 2010 when he was just 12 years old.
The young man became emotional when he described the abuse he claimed to have suffered at the hands of his former boss.
He also described a disturbing scene where Trice allegedly had sex with a horse, an allegation made on Tuesday by another alleged victim.
A fourth alleged victim testified that he began working part-time for Trice in 2016 when he was 17.
He said Trice began taking him to a vacant apartment building he owned where he gave him whiskey and worked to form a friendship, but said it didn’t take long for things to get weird.
Victim 4 said Trice offered to purchase wheels and tires for his truck and buy him a motorcycle in exchange for sexual favors.
The abuse ended when he found another job.
“I was in a place that I needed to get away, so I began seeking ways to get away from Mr. Trice,” he said.
BLISTERING CROSS EXAMINATION
District Attorney Alan Nash wasted no time with pleasantries when he got the chance to cross exam Trice.
And Trice wasn’t smiling any longer either.
He confronted Trice about a recorded telephone conversation between the defendant and Victim 1 where Trice could be heard saying “I don’t remember all the shit we did, but I know I didn’t do it with (Victim 2).”
Nash questioned Trice about the long list of young boys between the ages of 13-16 he hired over the years and the monetary gifts he regularly gave them.
He also pointed out that just four months ago – at the time this case was set for trial – Trice co-signed on a loan for a $70,000 skid steer for a former employee who testified as a character witness on Trice’s behalf.
“To what do we owe such generosity?” Nash asked, to which there was no clear answer.
CHARACTER WITNESSES
Stokes called a string of character witnesses, including Trice’s wife, son and daughter-in-law, to talk about what a great guy he is.
Carol Trice said she has been married to her husband for 56 years and never suspected that anything was amiss.
She said her husband has always been able to relate to teenagers and that many of them seemed to respect him.
The defense also heard from two former employees who said they never witnessed Trice act inappropriately.
Testimony in the case is expected to resume on Thursday.
Click here to read the story recapping day one of the trial.
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