Stephen Maiorino accused of raping woman on hood of his squad car found NOT guilty

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Ex-Florida cop Stephen Maiorino was acquitted of two counts of sexual battery; armed kidnapping, and one count of unlawful compensation or reward for official behavior
Maiorino, 36, was arrested in October 2014 after a woman, then 20, accused him of forcing her to perform a sex act on him and then raping her
She claimed the eight-year veteran veteran pointed a gun at her and after the rape threatened to kill her if she reported the assault
Defense questioned the accuser's credibility during the trial and suggested she was motivated by greed because she has a civil lawsuit pending

Published: 10:33 EST, 7 October 2015 | Updated: 11:47 EST, 7 October 2015

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A Florida jury on Tuesday found a former Boynton Beach police officer not guilty of raping a woman on the hood of his car, prompting an emotional outburst from his accuser in court.

Stephen Maiorino, 36, was arrested last fall on two counts of sexual battery by a law enforcement officer with a firearm; armed kidnapping; and one count called unlawful compensation or reward for official behavior while armed.

A woman, then 20 years old, accused the Boynton Beach cop of forcing her to perform oral sex on his under threat of arrest and then sexually assaulting her at gunpoint on top of his police car October 15.

Tears of relief: Former Boynton Beach police officer Stephen Maiorino, 36, has tears in his eyes after being acquitted of rape in Florida Tuesday

Emotional: The 36-year-old married father of two, who has spent the past year in jail, dropped his head into his hands when a jury cleared him of four charges, including sexual assault and kidnapping

Courtroom outburst: Maiorino's 21-year-old accuser is seen here being led sobbing and screaming out of the courtroom by her family after the not guilty verdict Tuesday

The former cop, who is married with two small children, faced up to two life sentences if convicted of all the counts against him.

The six-person jury panel in Boynton Beach deliberated for 10 hours spread over two days before clearing Maiorino of all the charges.

Upon hearing the not guilty verdict, the 36-year-old defendant dropped his head in his hands and broke down in tears.

News of the acquittal had an equally strong effect on the cop's accuser, who cried out 'No! No!' and let out ear-piercing sobs before being led out of the courtroom room by her family.

Once in the hallways, she was overhead exclaiming 'Why?' before running to the elevators in tears.

Philanderer: Maiorino's lawyer claimed his client showed bad judgement when he decided to have consensual sex with the accuser but he did not commit a crime

Maiorino’s wife, Melissa, who was in court every day throughout the week-long trial, left the court beaming after hearing the verdict.

'I'm just glad this nightmare is over, that justice prevailed,' the mother of two told reporters outside the courtroom, according to the station WPBF.

When asked if she believed her husband's version of events all along, Mrs Maiorino replied, '100 per cent.'

Prosecutor Marci Rex said while she respects the jury's ruling, her heart goes out to the accuser, whom she praised for having the courage to come forward, reported the Sun-Sentinel.

According to multiple published reporters, an eight-year veteran of Boynton Beach police who once starred in an episode TruTV's 'Most Shocking,' Maiorino met his victim after the driver of the car she was in was arrested for a DUI.

Maiorino was called to pick up the woman early on the evening of October 15, 2014, and take her to the police station, where family members were waiting, according to a police affidavit.

When the two arrived at the station, Maiorino 'grabbed her wrist and told her to perform oral sex on him to avoid being arrested herself' for DUI 'even though she had done nothing wrong', the woman claimed.

The accuser told investigators she complied out of fear, the affidavit went on to state, but Maiorino still didn't let her go.

He drove off to a secluded area in a field off Interstate 95 and ordered the woman to strip before he pinned her down to the hood of the police cruiser with his right hand, she stated in the report.

The alleged victim said that during the incident, she turned to look back to see Maiorino holding a gun in his left hand.

Afterwards, as she got dressed, she said that Maiorino pointed the gun at her and threatened to kill and her family if she told anyone about the assault, according to the affidavit.

Standing by her man: Melissa Maiorino told reporters she believed her husband's version of events '100 per cent' and was relieved their 'nightmare' was over

Police received a complaint six hours later and began investigating the claim the next morning with the help of the woman.

Investigators found a condom wrapper and condom allegedly used by Maiorino in the secluded area that the woman led them to.

Police also reviewed radio communications from Maiorino and found 54 minutes elapsed between when he picked up the woman and when he dropped her off.

A personnel file released by the city showed that Maiorino began having disciplinary problems starting in 2011.

He was suspended for two days that year for unsatisfactory performance and for mishandling evidence. He was suspended again in 2012 for violating prisoner transport and pursuit policy.

The department also noted his patrol car was also involved in several crashes, and earlier this year struck a fire hydrant. Mairino resigned from his job in May 2015.

During the trial, Maiorino's defense attorney Michael Salnick argued that the only thing his client was guilty of was showing bad judgement when he decided to have consensual sex on the job with a woman other than his wife.

The attorney also repeatedly cast doubt on the accuser’s credibility by pointing to the inconsistencies in her story and questioned her motives, suggesting that she made up the rape story to help her win a civil lawsuit against Maiorino and the City of Boynton Beach.

During her testimony, the now-21-year-old alleged victim vehemently denied being driven by greed, telling the court that would have made her 'the most evil human being in the world.'

Salnick speculated that the woman wanted to have sex on the hood of the squad car ‘perhaps to be cool’ and brought up the fact that in 2011, while the accuser was still in high school, she posed for a photo showing her bent over the hood of a car with her hands behind her back, according to The Palm Beach Post.

Speaking from the witness stand, the accuser insisted that the old snapshot was just a joke and not the expression of a sexual fantasy to have sex with a police officer on top of a squad car.

Recounting her alleged rape, the women said: ‘I was praying for it to stop.'

Maiorino walked out of the Palm Beach County Jail a free man at 4.30pm Tuesday, nearly a year after his arrest.

Ian Goldstein, an attorney representing the accuser, later put out a statement saying his client was 'completely devastated' by the outcome of the case.

‘She feels she's been put on trial, and made a mistake coming forward,' the statement read. 'She feels everything she's gone through is in vain.’