Rape Suspect Who Cross-Examined Victim Found Guilty, Will Seek New Trial

Jan. 21, 2011 — -- Luis Munuzuri Harris, the accused rapist who personally grilled his victim about the sex attack while acting as his own lawyer, has been found guilty but plans to appeal -- raising the possibility his victim will have to retell the ordeal again.

After 10 hours of deliberations Thursday, a Tampa jury found the convicted felon guilty of sexual battery, grand theft, kidnapping, impersonating a police officer, fraudulent use of personal information and fraudulent use of a credit card.

The charges stem from a July 2010 night when Harris drove along Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa impersonating an undercover narcotics officer. He pulled over the woman and raped her.

The woman's name is being withheld because she is a victim of a sex crime.

The trial ended in flayboyant fashion, much like it began. Both Harris and the woman he was found guilty of raping sobbed at the reading of the verdict.

During closing arguments, Judge Chet A. Tharpe ordered bailiffs to forcibly remove Harris from the courtroom when he began shouting. Pointing at jurors, Harris hurled accusations about the rape victim's arrest record and yelled, "I'm not waiving speedy trial." Bailiffs covered Harris' mouth with their hands as they exited the courtroom.

Harris, 31, is expected to be sentenced Feb. 17.

"The sentence is still pending. Our representation of Harris is still pending. It's safe to say that we will appeal," Tampa Public Defender Charles Traina said.

Traina wouldn't comment on the grounds that he and his client will appeal the verdict, but another member of his defense team made a remark during closing arguments that Harris' choice to act as his own defense attorney might have hurt his case.

"Mr. Harris chose to represent himself at the start of this case and although that may not have been the smartest decision he is not on trial to test his common sense or his intelligence," attorney Maria Pavlidis said.

At the start of his trial Jan. 10, Harris fired his appointed defenders, choosing to represent himself. Acting as his own attorney, he was allowed to cross-examine the woman he is now guilty of raping.

For more than two hours, Harris questioned the rape victim about the night of the crime, asking her personal questions such as whether she wore underwear.

Rape Victim Cross-Examined By Rapist

When Harris asked her, "When this person walks up to your car ... do you get out of your car?" she corrected him, "When you walk up to my vehicle."

At another point, she corrected his question by saying, "I was raped by you. You forced sex upon me."

During her testimony, she detailed the rape.

"I was pushed up against the window and you were having sex with me from behind me," she said.

Judge Jeanine Pirro, a legal analyst and former prosecutor, said that it's rare for the accused to cross-examine the accuser. While it's perfectly legal, she said that cases like this one act as a big deterrent for rape victims to come forward.

"For a rape victim to not just recite, but relive the actual crime with the person who inflicted the crime upon her is the biggest deterrent you can have," Pirro said. "This is a nightmare. There are victims who have tried to kill themselves, who have collapsed after testifying."

During the interrogation of the victim, the judge crossed his arms and closely monitored Harris' line of questioning, and Tharpe's face became increasingly red throughout the cross-examination. Finally, Tharpe had his own outburst as Harris cross-examined the witness at a painstakingly slow pace, taking two to three minutes between questions.

"I will not allow you to stand at the podium and read the deposition, page by page, until you can figure out what your next question is," Tharpe said.

At another point, the judge said, "What is happening, Mr. Harris, is that you are creating an undue hardship on this victim by asking her the same questions over and over. It's almost to the point of badgering this witness."

Convicted Rapist Harris Faces More Criminal Charges

The judge and the defendant clashed repeatedly during the trial. At one point, the judge told Harris that he had no idea about the appropriate etiquette and behavior of a lawyer.

"You clearly don't know the difference between sustained and overruled," Tharpe said.

Harris lashed out at the judge at times, accusing the judge at one point of trolling the internet during the trial. Objecting the judge's directives, Harris told Tharpe, "I'm not a dog you need to bark orders at."

Harris has a prior criminal record that includes convictions for grand theft, the Tampa Tribune reported.

ABC Affiliate WFTS contributed to this report.