Trejo Perez denies wrongdoing in molestation trial

Apr. 10—COLFAX — Juan Trejo Perez denied the testimony of several of the alleged victim's family members in court Tuesday.

He alleges all 10 of the witnesses are telling a different version of the story, and coming to Washington was the "stupidest mistake" he's ever made.

This was the second day of a three-day jury trial at Whitman County Superior Court. All evidence was submitted and almost all testimonies were provided. Trejo Perez, 34, will finish presenting his case when the court reconvenes today.

He's been accused of molesting a teenage boy from Pullman. The jury will deliberate and ultimately decide whether to convict Trejo Perez of felony third-degree child molestation.

Trejo Perez began a trial in December 2023 that ended with a hung jury and a mistrial.

In court, he said he had been visiting Washington state from California. He added he came via train and had recently sustained a back injury while working in the state.

He arrived in Pullman in late September 2023 and was arrested in early October. For the past six months he's been held at Whitman County Jail, though in February this year he was released and was later recommitted that month.

While staying in Pullman, he allegedly inquired about the alleged victim's love life, showed minors pornography, exposed himself to the victim and touched him below the belt, Whitman County Prosecutor Tessa Scholl said.

He was reportedly staying in the boy's room while visiting, and supposedly fixed the lock on his door, Scholl said. Trejo Perez had also allegedly given the victim gifts like an Apple watch, a speaker and a new phone.

The day before the incident, a witness said in court the family held a birthday party for a relative. She said Trejo Perez had reportedly asked her for a private room for the alleged victim to give him a massage. She said this caused discomfort and she told him no. She mentioned she used to be a certified nursing assistant and would be better at that task, but he supposedly declined the offer.

The night of the alleged incident, Trejo Perez supposedly told the boy's mother she needed to get some sleep and he would watch over the boy. He had reportedly asked the boy for a massage and allegedly tried to molest him.

The alleged victim said he was "in shock" over what had happened. He said he told his family, who chose to report the incident.

Multiple witnesses said the boy is a happy kid, but he had been noticeably sad after the alleged incident occurred.

A witness said he went to confront Trejo Perez about what had happened, but he was acting defensively. He said Trejo Perez hit him in the face a few times to get him to back off.

Trejo Perez had told a witness that he needed to get to the airport a day after the alleged incident. He was planning on flying to Mexico, where his wife and four children reside.

Pullman police found Trejo Perez in the parking lot of the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport and arrested him. As protocol, they took custody of his items, including a small backpack with a digital tablet inside.

Sgt. Alex Gordon said it was apparent he had facial injuries while arresting him, and he couldn't recall giving Trejo Perez medical attention.

Pullman Police Department Detective Thomas Cornish said he searched the tablet and found pornography in an internet search history during the time period Trejo Perez was staying in Pullman. He noted there was no passcode protection on the device.

Whitman County Public Defender Steve Martonick said anyone could have accessed the device, and it wasn't determined who accessed the sites.

Detective Sgt. Chris Engle said based on testimonies he heard in court that day and in his training, Trejo Perez's behavioir was consistent with grooming. He said this included his allegedly asking the victim for a massage, having conversations about sexual relations, showing him pornography and gift-giving. Supposedly fixing the lock on the victim's door could have been intended to increase the amount of time someone needed to enter the room.

He added there's not one particular reaction to be expected after a person has been sexually assaulted, and there is no timeline for when it is reported.

Martonick presented photos of Trejo Perez after his arrest to show the jury the condition of his face.

Trejo Perez provided a lengthy testimony that was paused because the court had closed for the day. He will resume this morning.

He denied the claims witnesses had provided, saying they were "half done" and the family had six months to agree upon a story that isn't consistent with the December 2023 trial.

He said he had given gifts to the boy out of gratitude and to heighten his self-esteem. Trejo Perez denied ever showing minors pornography and said the tablet was his to use.

He said he asked the boy only to apply ointment to his injury, because other members of the family didn't want to. He admitted to massaging him but said he never inappropriately touched him. He said the boy was asking him about his love life and questions he "wouldn't ask his father."

"I don't have the capacity to rape any person," Trejo Perez said.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com