By MATT THACKER
Trial began Tuesday in the case of a 51-year-old Jeffersonville man accused of molesting two young family members.
Andre B. Hepfer could face hundreds of years in prison if convicted on all 23 felony counts he is charged with.
After about seven hours of jury selection, Hepfer’s attorneys and the prosecutors made opening arguments on Tuesday.
“This is a fairly simple case,” Clark County Deputy Prosecutor Brittany Blau said.
She said the two young victims in the case will testify, and experts will also testify, that Hepfer failed a polygraph test and that he had pornography on his computer, as described by the children.
Hepfer’s attorney, Nathan Masingo, said during his opening argument that it is important for jurors to listen to what the prosecutors are not saying as much as what they are saying.
“There is no evidence. You will not hear of any DNA. ... You won’t see any medical report saying he did the things (Blau) is saying he did. That’s because there isn’t any evidence,” Masingo said.
The Jeffersonville Police Department began investigating in December 2008 after a man reported his 4-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son had made comments that led him to believe they were molested.
The children reportedly also told police about seeing pornography on the computer, and detectives found pornographic material on Hepfer’s computer.
Blau said Hepfer also failed a polygraph exam with 99 percent probability that he showed deception when asked three specific questions about molesting the children.
Blau said the two children are not excited to testify against Hepfer but that they will.
What the jury will not hear is that Hepfer has been abusing children for 20 to 30 years, according to JPD Detective Charlie Thompson. Thompson said he has spoken to victims that range in age from 4 to 17 and are from California and Kentucky.
Judge Dan Moore ruled that the two children in the case are competent to testify but that others who have come forward would prejudice the jury.
He is charged with 14 counts of class A felony child molesting, two counts of class C felony child molesting, two counts of class C felony child solicitation, two counts of class D felony providing obscene matter to minors and two counts of class D felony dissemination of matter harmful to minors. Each class A felony carries a possible sentence of 20 to 50 years.
