Jury seated in Pirates pitcher's sexual assault trial, testimony to begin Monday

Testimony in the sexual assault trial of former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez will begin Monday morning in a Westmoreland County courtroom.

Twelve jurors and two alternates were seated Friday for what is expected to be a three-day trial after Vazquez was accused of having sexual relations with a 13-year Scottdale girl in 2017.

Vazquez, 29, has been in the county jail without bond since his arrest in September 2019 after he was charged with statutory sexual assault, indecent assault of someone under age 16, corruption of a minor and unlawful contact with a minor. He is facing additional 10 counts of child pornography, 11 counts of unlawful contact with a minor and one count of corruption of a minor after police said he and the girl exchanged sexually explicit pictures and text messages.

Vazquez has denied guilt.

In addition to the charges in Pennsylvania, police in Florida charged Vazquez with similar offenses in connection with allegations the pitcher had a sexual relationship with the same girl after she moved to Florida.

Police in Missouri also charged Vazquez last year with pornography offenses after investigators said he and the same girl exchanged sexually explicit messages when the the pitcher was playing for the Pirates in St. Louis in 2019. Both the Florida and Missouri cases are pending.

Among a series of pretrial rulings this week, Common Pleas Judge Scott Mears prohibited prosecutors from referring to Vazquez’s accuser as “the victim” and said the prosecution cannot make specific references to the former all-star’s multimillion-dollar salary earned while pitching for the Pirates.

Prosecutors are barred from arguing or presenting evidence that Vazquez had a duty to ask about his accuser’s age. Vazquez, through defense attorney Gary Gerson, claimed in pretrial hearings the pitcher’s accuser lied about her age and Vazquez believed her to be of age to consent to a sexual relationship.

Gerson in March said Vazquez believed his accuser was “17 years old turning 18.”

Court officials said the trial will adhere to coronavirus restrictions put in place last year, including mask wearing for attorneys, court officials, jurors and spectators.

Jurors will be socially distanced and spread out in the courtroom. Some will be seated in the jury box while others will be positioned in the gallery on one side of the courtroom. Jurors will deliberate in the courtroom, according to Court Administrator Amy DeMatt.

Social distancing will limit the courtroom’s capacity. To accommodate spectators, the county will station a camera in the room, focused on the witness stand and broadcast that video feed to an auxiliary courtroom used by senior judges.

DeMatt said the video area will function as an extension of the courtroom, and all existing rules that prohibit picture taking and video recording of proceedings will be enforced.

“Sheriff’s deputies will be in the senior courtroom to enforce the rules,” DeMatt said.