Prosecution shares audio evidence in case of Yuma accused of abusing a child
Eduardo Morales
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – More evidence was shown to the jury Wednesday in the trial of a Yuma man accused of abusing a child.
48-year-old Randall Medders is facing five counts of child molestation, five counts of child abuse and 10 counts of aggravated assault with sexual motivation.
“I don’t know how to deal with this, I can’t talk to you,” said Medders in an audio recording.
In court, the prosecution played a recorded phone call of someone close to the victim questioning Medders on what happened.
In the recordings, Medders maintained his innocence but did admit to playing with the victim right before bedtime.
“She’ll make a comment like will you tickle me or whatever, I’ll tickle her stomach, or her sides, or her shoulders, and she started squirming around,” continued the recording.
Medders also shared his perspective on how he viewed his relationship to the victim.
“I’m sorry that I say this a lot, and I’m sorry that it doesn’t feel that way to you or to them or wherever, but it’s just like…it’s been very difficult to create a bond with them when everything has been a fight,” said the Medders audio.
Later on in the call, Medders describes a few more instances that he feels could have been misinterpreted as inappropriate.
“There have been a couple times where like I…I grabbed her by the shoulders and thrown her to the bed okay, nothing aggressive, nothing perverted,” he said.
Before the trial started, Medders rejected a plea deal offer from the state, which would have sent him to prison for 17 years, giving him lifetime probation and would have required him to register as a sex offender.
The trial continues August 21.