Jury finds female professor GUILTY of raping mute, cerebral palsy-stricken, diaper-wearing man after she claimed the two were 'in love'

• Dr Anna Stubblefield, 45, found guilty on two counts of felony first-degree aggravated sexual assault for raping a mentally disabled man 
• The Rutgers philosophy professor faces up to 40 years in prison when she is sentenced 
• Stubblefield claimed the 34-year-old victim known as D.J. could express himself through 'facilitated communication'
• Her defense lawyer asked that Stubblefield be released on bail because she was not a flight risk but the request was denied 
• After hearing the verdict, Stubblefield was led out in handcuffs to be held until sentencing
• In closing arguments Thursday, her attorney insisted no sexual assault had taken place because the pair were in a consensual sexual relationship
• Attorney James Patton argued the diaper-wearing man had the capacity to consent to sex with Stubblefield 
• Prosecution claimed Stubblefield preyed on D.J. for her own 'sexual gratification' and to further her own career 
• 'She put a person with cerebral palsy on an exercise mat on a dirty carpet. That's love?' prosecutor Eric Plant asked 

By Louise Boyle In Newark, New Jersey, For Dailymail.com

Published: 09:09 EST, 2 October 2015 | Updated: 13:01 EST, 2 October 2015

A New Jersey jury this morning found a female Rutgers University philosophy professor guilty of raping a severely disabled, cerebral palsy-stricken man with whom she claimed to have been in a consensual relationship.

Dr Anna Stubblefield, 45, broke down in shaking sobs and held her head in her hands as she was convicted on two counts of felony first-degree aggravated sexual assault.

The college educator faces up to 40 years in prison for raping a mentally disabled 34-year-old man, known only as DJ, in her Newark office in 2011.

The verdict was read out shortly before 11am to a packed courtroom at the Essex County courthouse in Newark after the six-week trial.

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Something to smile about? Dr Anna Stubblfefield, 45, was grinning as she arrived at Essex County Court in Newark, New Jersey Thursday. On Friday, she was found guilty of sexual assault  

The victim's family showed little reaction in the public gallery.

Her defense lawyer James Patton requested that Stubblefield be released on bail because she was not a flight risk and had her 15-year-old daughter to take care of, who has significant emotional problems and suffers from bi-polar disorder.

He said that the girl was completely estranged from her father and Stubblefield's family lived in the Detroit area and we're not available on a day-to-day basis.

Patton added that the 45-year-old professor was not a danger to society, has no prior history of sexual misconduct and no criminal history.

Prosecutor Eric Plant opposed the request and asked that Stubblefield be placed in custody immediately.

Judge Siobhan Teare denied the defense's request for bail. She said: 'It's one thing to be accused and it’s another thing to be convicted.'

Stubblefield laid her head on the table and then sobbed: 'Please take care of my daughter.'

A sentencing hearing was scheduled for November 9.

Outside of the courtroom, defense lawyer James Patton said: 'We are obviously disappointed and we will continue to appeal.'

Mr Patton said that he would also be attempting to renew the bail appeal. 

During closing arguments Thursday, Patton told the jury that while the case against his client was 'weird,'  there was nothing odd about her relationship with the victim, which he characterized as 'consensual' and 'mutually loving.'

Stubblefield was put on trial after being accused of raping the mute, diaper-wearing man in her office in Newark, New Jersey in 2011.

The philosophy professor, who has been suspended without pay from her position, refused to comment to DailyMail.com on Thursday. Stubblefield, of West Orange, New Jersey, chatted and received hugs from a group of supporters outside the courtroom.

A woman in love: An attorney for Stubblefield insisted in court there was nothing weird about her sexual relationship with a diaper-wearing cerebral palsy patient 

Leggy display: The 45-year-old divorced mom put her stems on full display in a navy-blue above-the-knee skirt, paired with gray slingbacks as she braved puddles in Newark 

She testified in her own defense last week that she and the man, known to the court only as DJ, were in a consensual relationship and 'in love'.

DJ, who is unable to speak, needs help eating and walking and is forced to wear diapers, is intellectually disable, according to his mother and brother who act as his legal guardians.

Closing arguments were heard Thursday in the six-week trial before Superior Court Judge Siobhan Teare. Stubblefield's supporters and the alleged victim's family sat on opposite sides of the courtroom at the Essex County courthouse in New Jersey.

The professor sat flanked by her defense lawyers and put on headphones during brief pauses in testimony when the legal teams consulted the judge.

Stubblefield's lawyer told the jury: 'As I told you on the first day of this trial, it was not a rape or sexual assault.'

He said DJ would be a 'perfect victim' for rape and if Dr Stubblefield 'had been interested in rape she could have taken advantage'.

The defense said the married professor had worked diligently to communicate with DJ by 'facilitated communication' and had taught his family how to use the method.

Facilitated communication is when an individual steadies the hand of a person who struggles to communicate because of tremors and helps them to type on a keyboard.

Patton said Stubblefield 'did nothing to hide her relationship and growing emotional involvement' [with DJ].

Although the situation was 'weird' because the couple's sexual relationship had been dragged into public view, Patton added: 'There's nothing weird about this relationship.'

Attorney James Patton argued in court the diaper-wearing man had the capacity to consent to sex with Stubblefield (pictured) 

Was she a predator? Prosecution claimed Stubblefield preyed on 34-year-old D.J. for her own 'sexual gratification'

'Do-gooder': The defense said the married professor had worked diligently to communicate with DJ by 'facilitated communication' and had taught his family how to use the method

She's not alone: The accused rapist chatted and received hugs from a group of supporters outside the courtroom

Patton was critical of the testimony of DJ's guardians, his mother and brother, and told the jury that the family had brought a civil lawsuit.

He also reminded the jury that it was DJ's brother, then a Rutgers student, who had approached Dr Stubblefield after attending her lecture on facilitated communication to see if the method could help his brother.

Patton said Stubblefield was 'encouraged' by the fact that DJ could spell words, point to cards and share information with her, such as his birthday and a trip his brother was taking.

He said: 'The communication that Anna and DJ had via facilitated communication was valid communication.'

The defense suggested that DJ's hospitalizations, for biting his hand and a separate time for banging his head, were because he was frustrated at being separated from Stubblefield after his family learned of the sexual relationship.

Patton also claimed the prosecution had 'paraded' DJ into the courtroom. 'He was brought here to convince you that because of his physical disability, he is mentally disabled.'

The defense also contended that when the alleged victim was brought into court, 'a concerted effort was made to block the view [he] would have of Anna Stubblefield... they were concerned with the reaction DJ would have, having not seen her in four and a half years'.

The lawyer said that 'everyone agrees he [DJ] has substantial physical disabilities' but added: 'All evidence shows a mutually loving relationship and they made conscious decisions before going ahead.'

Stubblefield, pictured with long hair during an event at Rutgers, previously claimed D.J. consented to sex with her through the controversial method of 'facilitated communication'

Patton addressed the lies that Stubblefield had told to DJ's family and her then-husband about the relationship as 'lies people make when they are falling in love'. He said her testimony was 'credible and truthful'.

He also said that the fact that DJ's family supported the use of facilitated communication, 'gave Anna confidence the communication was valid'.

'[DJ] had the capacity and ability to consent,' Patton said.

Essex County prosecutor Eric Plant then made his closing remarks, opening with the statement: 'This case is about an exploitation of trust.'

Stubblefield preyed on the alleged victim for her own 'sexual gratification' and had sought to isolate him, Plant said.

But she made a 'gross miscalculation' in revealing the relationship to DJ's legal guardians, the prosecutor said.

He suggested that the professor pursued the relationship as a means to furthering her career and had 'paraded' DJ around. Plant said the relationship was the last thing Stubblefield needed to become a 'super-figure' in the disability rights community.

'The defense had accepted there was sexual penetration in this case and the accused did it knowingly,' Plant said.

He told the jury that DJ's mental defectiveness was proven under law and confirmed by several expert witnesses' testimony. Plant said that because DJ had been declared legally incompetent, 'consent is not available as a defense in this case'.

Seven other individuals had testified about the mental defectiveness of DJ, including his mother and brother. Plant also spoke in detail to the jury about one expert witness, Dr Howard Shane, director of the center for Communication Enhancement at Boston Children's Hospital and an associate professor at Harvard Medical School.

Plant added: 'The only person who took the stand to testify that he [DJ] is not mentally defective and he has the capacity to consent to sexual activity is the defendant.' 

The prosecutor also focused on the credibility of Stubblefield, noting that she is a philosopher and does not hold a degree in psychiatry nor is a licensed speech therapist. He said it was 'ethically inappropriate' for Stubblefield to carry out 'pseudo-science' on DJ.

Stubblefield had lied to her husband, the guardians of DJ and her colleagues about the nature of their relationship, the prosecution said.

Stubblefield (left) explained in court last week that D.J. used a keyboard and could bang on the floor if he wanted to stop having sex 

Plant also said Stubblefield was not honest to the jury in the studies she cited about facilitated communication.

'There is no methodologically sound study in the US or the world that confirms this practice works,' he said.

Judge Teare had barred expert testimony on facilitated communication during the trial because she determined that it was not a recognized science.

Plant said that DJ's mother and brother underwent background checks, home visits and psychological testing to become his legal guardians.

'DJ's guardianship is not illegal, she didn't have the right to say it is illegal,' Plant said. 'It is not the way law-abiding citizens operate. She has no respect for the law.'

He added: 'If she [Stubblefield] loved DJ the way she's professed she did, she would not have acted the way she did. She put a person with cerebral palsy on an exercise mat on a dirty carpet. That's love?

'The way a person feels about someone they abuse or rape, has nothing to do with it. It's irrelevant.'

In Stubblefield's written explanation of her sexual interactions with DJ, she wrote he had 'he lowered himself off the bed on to the floor and scooted out the door down the hall to the front room'.

The prosecutor said DJ uses 'scooting' as a method of communication, to get to the fridge if he is hungry or to the sink if he is thirsty. Plant suggested DJ used 'scooting' during the sexual interaction with Stubblefield in order to get away.

'He did not understand what was going on, did not have the ability other than to scoot out,' Plant said.

During the trial the prosecution had questioned how DJ could communicate if he wanted to stop during another sexual incident on the floor of Stubblefield's Newark office. Stubblefield said he could bang on the floor.

The suggestion DJ could communicate his desire to stop in this way was 'repugnant', Plant told the jury.

The prosecutor said: 'He has severe problems with cerebral palsy - and he would be a perfect victim for someone to rape. And that's what happened.'

The case was handed to the jury Thursday afternoon, and deliberations continue Friday.

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