Paso Robles pedophile convicted on almost all counts. ‘Justice was served,’ victims’ attorney says
A Paso Robles man accused of sexually abusing children and videotaping his crimes was convicted of nearly every count against him — more than 50 — following a two-week trial that featured evidence that a San Luis Obispo Superior Court judge called “hard to watch.”
Judge Barry LaBarbera on Wednesday found Jason Robert Porter guilty of all but one count he faced, and praised an 11-year-old girl who testified against Porter for her courage.
“If (she) were here, I would tell her she’s a brave survivor,” LaBarbera said.
The girl was the final witness in the jury-less bench trial, which began last week.
The trial featured hours of testimony from investigators about more than 20,000 images and videos that showed Porter sexually touching children, and secretly filming both children and adults as they used a restroom at the Porter family’s home.
Porter, 49, faces the possibility of life in prison when he’s sentenced June 28.
Following the verdicts, Gregory Francisco Gillett, who has served as the many victims’ attorney under Marsy’s Law for several years, said in a statement provided to media that “Today, justice was served.”
“The victims in this matter were and are children. They have not only had to live through the heinous acts undertaken by Mr. Porter, but they have also had to live under the shadow of pending trial for almost five years,” Gillett wrote. “Mr. Porter has stolen a time of their lives that should have been filled with love and trust.”
The statement continues: “However, like the victim who testified in court showed yesterday, they are resilient and strong. They will not be defined by this episode. They, with the love and support of their families and their communities, will overcome.”
Gillett said the families of the victims ask for continued prayers for their ongoing recovery.
Porter had pleaded not guilty to 58 criminal counts, including 17 felony charges of committing sex acts on a child and possession of child pornography, as well as 41 misdemeanor charges of invasion of privacy for the bathroom camera.
The latest charging document in the case lists four child victims of physical sexual abuse between the ages of 4 and 7 years old at the time of the crimes. An additional 32 minors were identified in film and photo evidence recovered from Porter’s devices.
At the conclusion of the trial, San Luis Obispo County Deputy District Attorney Melissa Chabra moved to dismiss a handful of those misdemeanor charges for various reasons.
Young victim testifies
On Tuesday, the 11-year-old girl testified about one incident of molestation that occurred several years before Porter was caught photographing her in 2016.
The girl recalled that when she was 4 years old, she stayed at the Porters’ house to play with his two adolescent sons, who were friends.
Asked if something “made (her) uncomfortable” during that stay, the girl remembered sleeping alone in Porter’s son’s bed when she was awoken by a man she recognized as Porter pull down her pants and commit a lewd act, which she described in court.
She said she heard him take several cell phone photos then sit down and watch her for a while before leaving the bedroom.
“I pretended I was asleep,” she said.
She told her mother and another friend about the incident the next day, she said. Other testimony in the case shows that despite that incident, police weren’t made aware until Porter’s arrest in 2016.
Judge cites ‘overwhelming evidence’
On Wednesday, LaBarbera found that Chabra and county District Attorney’s Office investigators clearly established beyond a reasonable doubt that Porter both created and stored the content for his own sexual gratification.
LaBarbera said that there was “overwhelming evidence” that Porter is the subject who created the content, noting that even in media where his face or voice were not seen or heard, the prosecution meticulously documented other identifiers such as furniture, clothing and Porter’s watch.
“He possessed so much of it,” LaBarbera said. “I have no problem finding him beyond a reasonable doubt on all these offenses.”
However, LaBarbera found Porter not guilty on one count, which alleged Porter produced child pornography. That charge required Porter intended to sell, trade or distribute the material he created, which LaBarbera said no evidence was presented to support.
The judge said he was persuaded by the 11-year-old girl’s testimony Tuesday. She was 4 years old when Porter molested her while she slept, she recounted in court.
“For an 11-year-old, I found her very credible and mature in her testimony,” he said. “There are services for survivors ... I hope that she is able to further survive, in that regard.”
Mother of victim caught Porter in the act
Porter was arrested in June 2016 after allegedly being caught by the girl’s mother, who was a former friend and neighbor, shooting cell phone photos under her child’s dress.
He was arrested a second time weeks later after investigators found tens of thousands of images and videos of children engaging in sexual acts, including some allegedly showing Porter molesting children, during a search of his home and electronic devices.
Evidence presented during the trial shows that Porter installed a video camera in the bathroom of the home he shared with his parents in Paso Robles, where his family would regularly host pool parties for neighbors and other family and their kids. That footage was also found during the search.
“The evidence shows that Mr. Porter is a serial child predator,” Chabra said in court Tuesday.
Porter has remained in San Luis Obispo County Jail since his second arrest, with bail posted at $7 million. Following his convictions, LaBarbera ordered that Porter now remain in jail without bail pending his sentencing.
This story was originally published June 2, 2021 at 9:42 AM.
