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Attorney Matt Quigg pointed out the defendant, Mason Hall, would have been 17 years old when the assault happened.
And, Quigg said prosecutors haven’t shown that there was a gun involved, other than a detective who interviewed the victim and said she told him she saw a gun.
In her statement to police, the victim said she got to the park around 10:30 a.m., parked near the silos and set out for a routine walk. She passed other people on the trails, who were biking or jogging. She even stopped to take a picture of the creek on Snapchat.
So when she heard footsteps coming up behind her and felt an arm around her neck, she thought it was a friend.
But then she felt a gun pressed to her temple, and a man behind her said he would shoot her if she didn’t listen to him. Next, she said, the man walked her into a field and sexually assaulted her.
DNA didn’t result in a match on criminal databases, but over the course of more than two years, investigators were able to pinpoint Hall by searching public and private databases.
Once they identified Hall as a suspect, they learned he was previously arrested for smashing a headlight with a hammer, during which he cut his hand. That hammer with his blood on it was still in evidence, and prosecutors say the DNA was a match.
Hall’s attorney argued for lower bail, saying $1 million is punitive, but the judge sided with prosecutors, who argued Hall is a flight risk because the evidence against him is so strong.
“Mason is very much looking forward to his day in court,” added Quigg, “looking forward to contesting the evidence, contest the charges in a court of law rather than the court of public opinion.”