It was a bustling day in Valerie Williams' Southwest Philadelphia row home on Jan. 14, 2013. Williams was on vacation and home for most of the day. Philadelphia Police say a child was raped inside 6243 Walton Avenue that same day.
Former day care worker Christina Regusters, Williams' niece, is on trial for the kidnapping and rape of the 5-year-old Philadelphia girl.
Williams told the jury that she, her boyfriend Rudy McGlone and Regusters spent the day sleeping, eating breakfast, doing chores, bathing a parrot in the shower, playing the keyboard and rearranging furniture in the two-story, 3-bedroom home.
All the activity went on while the girl was allegedly held captive under a bed and sexually brutalized repeatedly.
While on the stand, Williams was shown surveillance video of a child walking nearby her home with a woman wearing Muslim garb. Williams said she thinks the white coat the child wore was hers and the woman in the black garb was Regusters.
The sexual assault allegedly occurred after police say Regusters kidnapped the kindergarten student from Bryant Elementary School shortly after she ate breakfast with her classmates. The kidnapper wore black Muslim garb that covered her face.
The child was walked to a home in the neighborhood, blindfolded, striped naked and fed steak, rice and broccoli. The child was raped with a sharp object. Dr. Cindy Christian testified that her injuries were so severe they required a colostomy. Prosecutors argue that the 21-year-old defendant acted alone.
Williams testified she saw Regusters come in the front door carrying something over her shoulder that morning, but doesn't know what it was or if a child was inside whatever she was carrying.
Williams' grandson, the fourth resident in the Walton Avenue home, did not testify. His DNA was found on the blue broken broomstick found under his bed. He occupied the rear bedroom where police say the crimes occurred.
McGlone and Williams both testified Friday that they did not hear or see a child in their home on Jan. 14, 2013, nor did they hear or see someone leave from their home at 4 a.m. the next morning.
The victim was dumped at an Upper Darby playground before daybreak on January 15. She was found by Nelson Mandela Myers, a Good Samaritan who walked by the playground on his way to work and heard the child's cries.
Could the horrific crime have been committed on a day of such bustling activity inside 6243 Walton Avenue?
The prosecution expects to rest its case early next week introducing more key evidence in the case.
Contact Sarah Glover at 610-668-5580, sarah.glover@nbcuni.com or follow @skyphoto on Twitter.
