The state rested its case Tuesday in the trial of the Seminole County man accused of trying to lure young girls to vacant homes to rape them.
A jury was presented with several hours of disturbing images of child pornography allegedly taken from Shawn Thomas' computer.
Thomas faces 60 counts of possessing child porn. It took several hours in court on Tuesday for FDLE agents to identify each picture for the jury in what they say was an extensive file system Thomas set up on his computer. Investigators even testified there were files with backups up many of the images.
FDLE agents said they found the pornographic material after Thomas was arrested in June 2014, when investigators also uncovered what they say was Thomas’s elaborate plot to rape a young girl, kill her family and then sell video of him committing the crimes.
At one point investigators said Thomas lured a family to a vacant Longwood home where Thomas – who said he was a student making a film – had a knife, camera, tripod, plastic sheets and lubricant.
On Tuesday two of Thomas’s former roommates testified. Both of them said they are no longer friends with Thomas. Thomas’s defense attorney argued prosecutors can’t prove he was the one who downloaded the child porn because his roommates had access to his computer. But one of those roommates testified she rarely used the laptop.
The state rested its case on Tuesday. Thomas’s defense attorney said he wants to have another chance to question his client’s two former roommates again Wednesday morning. Attorneys on both sides are expected to give their closing arguments Wednesday morning before the jury gets their instructions, and ultimately the case to deliberate.
When the judge asked Thomas Tuesday afternoon whether he will testify in his own defense, Thomas said he hadn’t decided yet.
Shawn Thomas is also facing attempted rape and attempted murder charges, but those charges will be dealt with at another trial.