LAS VEGAS—The assault trial of Jonathan Koppenhaver, better known to the world as mixed martial arts fighter War Machine (now his legal name), had his attorney Brandon Sua mount a unique defense for the man accused of beating adult actress Christy Mack nearly to death: that Mack's "career in adult films constituted consent and that her job instilled in her 'the desire, the preference, the acceptability towards a particular form of sex activities that were outside of the norm,'" as Raw Story writer David Ferguson put it.
In other words, since Mack has had sex on camera, it wasn't legally possible for her to have been raped by Koppenhaver, nor to have been kidnapped by him, nor suffered "a blowout fracture of her left eye and several other broken bones in her face, two missing teeth, a lacerated liver, broken ribs and serious bruising in several places."
"The jury needs to know the nature of this relationship, and what was customary and consensual," Sua told Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter David Ferrara outside the courtroom, while inside the courtroom, Koppenhaver's lawyers argued that "[Mack's] work in pornography pointed to consent and that Koppenhaver and Mackinday often engaged in rough sex."
But rough, consensual sex isn't a crime, whether it's in a couple's home or on video for the world to see—and Las Vegas Chief Deputy District Attorney Jacqueline Bluth seemed to understand that.
"Because she consented to those acts through her course of employment does not mean the defendant is then entitled to think he can do that to her. You can't make that leap," Bluth told District Judge Elissa Cadish, also arguing that the defense should not be allowed to present Mack's pornos to the jury, fearing they would prejudice the jury and violate rape shield laws.
Judge Cadish likewise understood the basis for the defense's tactic.
"I don't see how any of those activities that she did in adult movies would ever show her consent to the acts with the defendant that he's charged with," Cadish said. "I'm not seeing that connection."
It appears that Koppenhaver is what might be described as "a real piece of work." Not only did he laugh during Mack's testimony, which brought the starlet to tears, but on Monday, while on the witness stand, Koppenhaver actually blew a kiss at Bluth, though Sua claimed he saw no such thing.
"I'm not going to make up that he blew a kiss at me, which I find offensive," Bluth retorted.
"Mr. Koppenhaver, stop," Judge Cadish warned him. "You are not to make any gestures of any kind toward counsel. Don't go there."
Koppenhaver just smiled and said, "Yes, ma'am."
This piece of shit's trial will continue after the Thanksgiving holiday.
Pictured: Christy Mack before and after Koppenhaver beat her.
