One thing the trial of the Spitzer twins made clear, they were like two perverted peas in a pod.  Aside from the horror of the rapes they committed, the litany of creepy behaviors in which the twins engaged are appalling.

The prosecutor sought to demonstrate that the twins “executed a common design or plan to have sex with the same woman.”  Part of the prosecution’s case was to show videotapes, not only of the rapes, but of the twins mugging for the camera and referring to themselves as “The World’s Swingingest Lovers.”  They failed, at every opportunity, to comprehend that they were not lovers of women, they were rapists.

In one of the most disturbing tapes the twins are naked, and aroused, in each other’s presence. The defense attorney attempted to sell the notion that the 40-year olds were acting “…like 12-year old boys in a locker room.”  The prosecutor refuted that characterization and suggested that “these are 40-year old men turning each other on, and the only thing [that is] lacking in this film is the woman to actually penetrate while they are having this sexually provocative act.”

The jurors were also treated to scenes from the twins’ porno movie, “Kisses From Romania—its one and only public showing. The jury gave it twelve thumbs down.  The movie is shot documentary style and consists of a series of scenes in which “Julian” a rich American film producer, is in Bucharest looking for the most beautiful Romanian woman to make a movie. Julian manages to entice several women and the scene cuts to a dirty sofa bed where Julian quizzes the women about their sexual fantasies. One woman says that she has fantasized about lesbian sex. Another says she enjoys romantic sex and wants to do it in a boat.  Another says she has tried anal sex. Each woman, after a bribe, is invited to undress slowly.  There is a lukewarm sex scene that has nothing to do with the previously mentioned fantasies.

The film was reviewed by a Romanian porn aficionado.  He said that the women were not erotic, although they conveyed “hunger and poverty.”  If you’re curious, here is an edited clip from the film in which there is no nudity.

Another of the tapes showed Stefan sodomizing a woman with a foreign object, attempting oral copulation, and committing rape. Stefan said the women on those tapes were not drugged and that he and George had only made the videotape for their own “private amusement.”

The twins admitted that some of the videos were made without consent, but claimed that they only engaged in consensual sex. “They were all having a good time,” Stefan said.

The twins seemed confident that the rape charges would not be proved. Date-rape cases are difficult to prosecute. The great majority of date rapes go unreported. There is often scant physical evidence to work with. Unless the woman goes immediately to a hospital, she may not be able to demonstrate that a rape took place. In such cases it is nearly always a struggle getting victims to come forward—they are often confused and ashamed.

In the case against the Spitzers, twelve women came forward to testify. They had not consented to sex and they certainly had not been having a good time. George and Stefan’s victims came from all walks of life. Among those who came forward was a flight attendant, a college student, a woman who worked in a mall and  a lawyer. The 16 known victims were probably just the tip of the iceberg.  There is no way to know the number of Spitzer victims who never came forward.

The twins’ 79-year old father testified on their behalf, but it wasn’t enough.  Neither was the defense case which sought to portray the twins in a “boys will be boys” light. The jury could see that the defendants hadn’t been engaged in youthful hi-jinx, they were grown men and they were rapists.

The jury deliberated for little more than a day. As the jurors filed into the courtroom to deliver the verdict, five of the Spitzer twins’ victims sat in the front row and held hands. The jury found George and Stefan guilty.

Before sentencing, the twins addressed the judge, saying that none of the videotapes showed a woman being drugged and that none of the so-called victims had produced a positive drug test.

The Judge didn’t care. He saw no signs of compassion or remorse, and women simply were not safe when the Spitzer twins were free. George was sentenced to 60 years in prison and Stefan to 37 years. Their sentences were later reduced on appeal.

As they were being sentenced, the twins shook their heads in sync with one another. Then Stefan looked at George, but George didn’t look back.

Prosecutor Mary Hanlon Stone warned women: “Never let a stranger buy you a drink.”

And here’s a rule of thumb: If you suspect you’ve been drugged and/or a victim of date-rape, pee in a cup right away.

AFTERWORD

I said at the beginning of this series of posts  I discovered that the twins had been released from prison.  I couldn’t find them in the California Sex Offender Registry—they seemed to have vanished.  Of course they hadn’t vanished at all—because they were citizens of Canada they were returned there after serving their sentences.

In August 2014 the citizens of Outremont, a borough outside Montreal proper, were alarmed to discover that for five years a man with a violent criminal past was living in their midst.  The man was fifty-eight year-old George Spitzer.  He had been living in the area since his expulsion from the U.S. in 2009.  By Canadian law, authorities should have imposed a peace bond, an “810” order on George.  The 810 is made when, according to legal analyst Philip Schneider, “…you have reasonable grounds to believe there is a potential danger to the public.” Stefan Spitzer was living with conditions imposed on him—why not George?  It seemed that the reason for the snafu was down to an administrative error between the U.S. and Canadian officials.

Anyone familiar with the Spitzer’s history won’t be shocked to learn that George was arrested in 2013 for defrauding a Montreal woman of $100,000.  At least he wasn’t raping anyone.

Stefan was arrested by Montreal Police, shortly after George, for breaching an unspecified condition of his release.

I have tried to find current news regarding the Spitzer twins but so far have been unsuccessful. If there are any Canadian readers who know the status of the twins please, please let me know.