By ELLIS GOODWIN

Staff Writer



Several key witnesses sat on the stand Wednesday in the rape and maiming trial of a Chickasha man.

The accuser's mother, a jail-house informant, and an investigator testified against Terry Don Bumpus. Prosecutors focused on the maiming case on Tuesday, but they switched the focus to the rape charges on Wednesday.

Bumpus sat quietly and showed little emotion during the testimonies against him.

The accuser's mother took the stand first. She described what is alleged to have happened to her daughter on Sept. 23, 2008, and the pain it caused not only her daughter, but also her family.

Police and prosecution say Bumpus told a 15-year-old girl he was going to "break her like the other dogs" and then pushed her to the ground and burned her chest three times with a ring heated by a lighter.



Mother's

Testimony

The accuser's mother told jurors she did not notice any burns or physical trauma on her daughter the night in question, but she said she could tell something was wrong.

The mother said the accuser did not immediately go to her or the police for help. Eight days passed before she reported the crime to police, and four months passed before she said she had been raped.

The defense attorney Stacy L. Smith told jurors there is no physical evidence of a rape. He asked the mother what happened to the clothing worn by her daughter on Sept. 23, 2009. The mother said she thought the clothes had been thrown out, and by the time a report was filed with the police, it was too late to conduct a rape kit test.

"I never seen them again," the accuser's mother said, talking about the clothes her daughter wore that night.

Jessica Taylor, a forensic interviewer with the Mary Abbott Children's House in Norman, interviewed the accuser about the crime in January. Taylor has a degree in psychology and some 180 hours in child abuse and psychology training.

Taylor said the victim took months to report the rape because she felt ashamed. She was embarrassed and scared, but she felt she needed to tell the story, Taylor said.

During Taylor's testimony, she said the accuser told her that Bumpus and his friend Matthew Lane approached her from behind in Lane's orange truck. Taylor testified that Bumpus then reportedly began harassing the accuser, pushed her down and then pulled her toward him. Taylor said the accuser told her that Bumpus then heated his ring with a lighter, straddled her, and pressed it to her chest. Taylor testified that after burning the accuser, Bumpus began removing the accuser's clothes and then raped her.



Davis Testimony

One witness came forward from within the Grady County Jail Wednesday.

Jason Davis, 36, is in custody awaiting a felony trial for second-degree forgery. Davis was housed with Bumpus in the jail.

Davis told jurors that one day at the gym, Bumpus admitted the crime and described how it happened.

Davis was able to tell jurors the details of the case but would have had few, if any, chances to see Bumpus's case file.

Davis said Bumpus had told him what happened, but Bumpus believed he would get off because he threatened the accuser and an old man who supposedly saw the crime committed.

Davis does not have any plea deal with the district attorney. He said he came forward with the information because he felt Bumpus might commit a similar crime.

"I just did it so he won't get out and do it again," Davis told the court. "I know he will."

The defense alleged that Davis stole a look at Bumpus's case file while in jail and decided to create this story after the two men had a fight in jail. Davis denied the fight and any alligation that he has a deal or is looking for one.

Davis spoke confidently and directly. He glanced at Bumpus multiple times during his testimony, but Bumpus showed no signs of emotion.





The trial continues today and numerous witnesses must testify, including Bumpus.

Due to the lack of physical evidence, the case has become a matter of he said, she said. Bumpus has not been convicted of any similar crimes and is expected to call multiple witnesses who corroborate his alibi.