A man accused of kidnapping and raping his ex-wife by holding him hostage for two days during a campaign of abuse has been found guilty of all 11 charges, including attempt to murder.
A jury found Trevor Summers, 45, guilty on Friday night after a case in which he acted as his lawyer and was able to torment his wife by interrogating him at the witness stand. He stood impatiently when the verdict was pronounced.
Earlier on Friday, Summers declined to testify in his defense and an unsuccessful attempt by a judge to dismiss the case.
Summers had previously fired several lawyers in the March 2017 case.
He rose to prominence earlier this week when he was able to tell his ex-wife, Alisa Mathewson, about the horrific attack on him five years ago.
On Friday morning, Summers went back and forth with Judge Christopher C. Sabella about the law as he attempted to advance his motion for acquittal.
Trevor Steven Summers, 45, has been convicted of attempted murder, kidnapping and sexual assault of his ex-wife.
Judge Christopher C. Sabella’s ex-wife Alisa Summers reacted to the verdict as her ex-husband was found guilty on all 11 counts
Judge Christopher C. Sabella asked Summers if he wanted to testify in his defense but he declined.
Summers did not react after the verdict was pronounced on Friday. His wife is seen to the left of the court as the verdicts are returned.
Attempting to make his case for the acquittal, Summers remarked how ‘sex doesn’t mean that much’ to his ex-wife.
“I mean, it doesn’t mean it’s someone who is of that status, he can’t be sexually assaulted just because sex doesn’t mean that much to him,” the judge replied.
Earlier in the week, Summers, who represented herself in court in Hillsborough County, FloridaIn a tearful cross-examination, 42-year-old Alisa Mathewson was questioned by his ex-wife.
Mathewson, who accused her of violence and rape, detailed how Summers, with whom she shares five children, ambushed her in her sleep and broke into her home on March 11, 2017. raped.
He then beat his ex-wife with a pillow until she fainted and tried to strangle her with a rope.
Alyssa Mathewson put her feelings back in the witness box at her husband’s trial earlier this week. She was assaulted and physically abused over the course of two days when he abducted her
Trevor Steven Summers, 45, represented himself in court in Hillsborough County, Florida, and fired several questions at his ex-wife, Alisa Mathewson.
After that, during the kidnapping, she was physically abused for two days.
The couple lived in separate homes – as they had separated and were in the process of getting a divorce at the time.
Their three children were sleeping in the house at the time, and their eldest daughter, who was 14, testified how her father tricked her into leaving a window open, through which Summers could enter the house. was capable.
Summers described how one week in March 2017, from Tuesday to Wednesday mornings, Summer broke into her home. Her two young children were in bed with her while her 14-year-old daughter was on the couch.
When her ‘abusive’ ex-husband was asked if he forced her to have sex with him, Mathewson told the court: ‘You broke into my house at midnight and attacked me while I was sleeping and tied me up! ,
‘I believe it yes, you threatened me to have sex with you! Yes!’
Holding back his feelings, the ex-wife said: ‘Before having sex, you pushed me, you held me, you tied me up, you attacked me, and you entered my house while I was sleeping. broke ! You raped me!’
The respondent again asked: ‘So you are calling it rape?’
He replied: ‘It is. This is the definition of rape, attacking someone by entering their house and tying them up and then having sex with them! That is the definition of rape.
Trevor Steven Summers and his ex-wife in a picture posted on social media in July 2016. He has been found guilty of all 11 counts, including two counts of first-degree attempt to murder.
Summers asked to share five kids together
Trevor Steven Summers mugshot. A slash can be seen on his neck. Summers took a razor blade and slit his throat, saying: ‘This is love. I am giving my life for you. You don’t deserve it,’ she said during the kidnapping
The court heard that Summers used Christmas lights to tie her to the bed frame.
On Wednesday, Summers filed a petition during the break of the morning asking Judge Christopher C. Sabella to represent himself during the latter part of the trial — when his defense attorney would usually cross-examine the victim.
The judge warned that he did not consider this a ‘wise’ decision – but ultimately granted his request. She said that Summers could not contact her while she was on the stand.
During the trial, during a two-day horrific ordeal in 2017, a screaming Mathewson was forcibly placed in a car while her ex-husband drove through several counties.
At one point, she says that he attempted to run away when he stopped at a Walgreens parking lot, but he put her back in the vehicle and slit one of her wrists as punishment.
A Walgreens employee saw the test and called 911 at the time.
The ex-wife claims he took her to a farm in Manatee County, Florida, to hide from law enforcement—but over the summer the food and water ran out. He was also supposed to take her on a chartered boat, but he brought her to a ‘safe house’, he said.
Alisa’s dark blue Saturn outlook, which is said to have been bundled up during the kidnapping. He briefly tried to escape during a stop at Walgreens, where an employee testified that he witnessed the test and called 911.
Mathewson told the jury at the trial: ‘You broke into my house at midnight, attacked me while I was sleeping, and tied me up!’
After an argument inside the car, Summer begins to ‘throttle his ex-wife with a rope’, but Mathewson was able to take her off even though her hands are tied.
According to the prosecutor, it was at this time that the abducted ex-wife saw a police car.
When he saw the unmarked police car, Summers took the same razor blade he used to slit her wrist and slit his throat, saying: ‘This is love. I am giving my life for you. You do not deserve this.’
Mathewson recalled the bloody ordeal – and said he begged her to stop.
He said he would cut her ropes, but was able to get her hand out of the loop when law enforcement surrounded the car.
He testified: ‘And at this point, law enforcement surrounded the vehicle. My door opened. I was caught and thrown out.
At the time of the attack, the couple lived in separate homes – as they had separated and were in the process of divorce