Soldier accused of strangling, raping women testifies in court

Washington Post

2 days ago

After listening to 15 women testify that he had slapped, strangled and sometimes raped them over a three-year period, Army Maj. Jonathan Batt took his turn on the witness stand in his court-martial at Fort Meade on Wednesday and said each of them consented to every act of sex or bondage he performed. Batt acknowledged he impregnated one of his accusers, an active duty soldier, and assisted her in obtaining an abortion, but did not address the woman's claim that he pressured her into ending the pregnancy.
'I'm not a rapist,' the Army ranger told the jury of four colonels and four lieutenant colonels, two of whom are women. 'And I really hope we can see the facts with all these stories.'
Batt, 40, faces six rape and 10 aggravated assault counts among the 43 total charges. One of the lead prosecutors from the Army's Office of Special Trial Counsel, Lt. Col. Gregory A. Vetere, listened to Batt's version of his relationships with the women and began his cross-examination by asking:
'You did absolutely nothing illegal to the 15 women who testified against you?'
'Yes sir,' Batt said.
'Fifteen different women?'
'Yes sir,' Batt replied.
Vetere proceeded to list the names of all 15 women who testified. 'Your testimony is that every single criminal allegation is untrue?' the prosecutor asked. 'Yes sir,' Batt answered.
Batt spent nearly the entire day on the stand, describing how he met each of his accusers — many on dating apps, others through friends or work — and how their relationships or one-night stands developed. After he was assigned to Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Virginia, in 2020, his social life often revolved around the boat he kept on the Potomac River, dubbed the 'Batt Boat' with a Batman logo on the back.
One woman testified that she took a ride on a Jet Ski with Batt, saying they stopped in the Potomac and had sex against her will on the motorized vehicle. Batt confirmed that story, but said the woman was fully consenting. He acknowledged she later sent him texts saying she was upset about the incident.
To show that the women sometimes seemed untroubled by his actions, Batt said many texted him saying they were looking forward to meeting up again. One longer-term girlfriend 'would frequently text me and ask me for these things,' Batt said. A video Batt shot of himself having sex with one of the women accusing him was admitted in evidence and shown to the jury.
In August 2022, one of Batt's girlfriends posted his picture on Facebook, under the page 'Are We Dating the Same Guy?' Batt said it was a turning point in his life. The Alexandria police began investigating after one of the women who responded to the post called a detective, and then the Army Criminal Investigation Division joined the probe and found 20 accusers both in the D.C. area and at Fort Benning, Georgia, where Batt was previously stationed.
Batt was arrested last October and initially charged with 14 rapes among 77 total counts for allegations that spanned from late 2019 to early 2023. Five women have since withdrawn from the case and other charges have been dropped or combined.
'I fully acknowledge that in dating, I had a suboptimal approach during the covid quarantine period,' Batt testified. He said he examined himself, learned from his experiences and 'married an amazing person.'
The jurors in military trials can ask questions, and one asked when he got married. Adultery is a crime in the military that can result in a dishonorable discharge and up to a year in prison. When Batt didn't immediately answer, Military Judge Adam S. Kazin pressed him for the date. 'The fifth of May' of this year, Batt said.
Batt said his first dates with women typically involved dinner or a ride on his boat. Many of the women who accused him had repeated encounters with him, with the soldier sometimes choking them with his hands to the point where the women said they nearly passed out. Batt acknowledged biting some of the women and leaving marks on them, or tying them to the bed with nylon ropes.
Batt said he discovered strangling women because 'several women asked me for it and I realized it was a thing that many women liked. … If you squeeze for a few seconds it can have the impact of increasing sensitivity for them. They generally provide many positive reactions, physiologically.'
Only one of the women was in the military. He said he met her while assigned to 'The Old Guard' at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. They began working out together and then met regularly for sex, Batt said. In 2023, he noticed she was pregnant and she told him he was the father.
The woman testified last week that Batt pressured her into having an abortion, that he would make her life miserable and take the child if she gave birth. Batt was not asked about that Wednesday.
Instead, Batt testified that they discussed options. He noted that he 'had a daughter that was also not in a marriage. We talked about that, the challenges of having a kid.' He said he 'asked what she wanted to do, and said I would support her.' He said he drove her to a private abortion clinic, and helped her for days after. He said they remained in touch until last October, when she obtained a protective order against him.
Batt differed with the witness accounts offered by the women who testified in the first six days of the trial. He said the sex acts and strangling he performed on a transgender woman from Pennsylvania were consensual and in two incidents, were different from what the woman said happened. He said a lawyer from the District consented to sex and 'light choking,' though the woman said she did not, and that she suffered burst blood vessels around her eyes as a result.
One of the jurors asked, given the number of women making allegations over an extended period, 'Can you describe how you have respect for women?' Batt responded, 'In the consensual relationships I've been in there's always a conversation about what the other party wants.'
Another jury question, referring to the large number of accusers, asked, 'What could have led them to make these claims?' Batt replied that one woman he had dated for two years, who created the Facebook post, 'stated she would ruin my life if I did not do as she stated. She then acted behind the scenes to inflame others.' He added, 'Other people were told they were victims by the Alexandria Police Department and Army CID, that made them feel like victims and caused them to embellish their stories.'
The defense is expected to finish its case Thursday, then prosecutors may introduce rebuttal witnesses. The jury is only required to have six of its eight members vote guilty to convict on each charge.
If Batt is convicted of any of the charges, he then must decide whether the jury or the judge will sentence him. A hearing with more evidence would be held on the sentence immediately after any guilty verdicts. The maximum sentence Batt could face is life without parole.