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Jury to hear closing arguments today in child sex trafficking case
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Maria Mercedes Vasquez-Quiroz and Digno de Jesus Mejia stand up on Wednesday afternoon while wearing headphones Wednesday afternoon in Hall County Superior court. Interpreters Guillermo Arenas, seated, and Melva Mendoza are at their side during the trial.
A child psychologist testified Wednesday that she diagnosed two children with sexual abuse as the prosecution wrapped up its side in a child sex trafficking case. Maria Mercedes Vasquez-Quiroz and Digno de Jesus Maria face multiple charges, including rape, child molestation and trafficking a person for sexual servitude. “(The girl) said that Maria would be the one to open the door when the men came in order to hurt her, as she says,” clinical psychologist Roselynn Miller said. “(Vasquez-Quiroz) would then leave and go into the kitchen to cook, while the men would take her back either to the bedroom or to the couch to rape her.” The girl’s Division of Family and Children Services’ caseworker Danielle Finnemore also took the stand Wednesday, discussing what the girl said during her time with DFCS. Finnemore said the girl told her that Vasquez-Quiroz would walk her down to “meet the man in the car and put (the girl) in the car and send (her) away with him in the car.”