Terence Crosbie, a firefighter from Dublin, was in the Suffolk County Courthouse in Boston, Massachusetts on Monday, June 9, for the start of his criminal trial in which he is charged with one count of rape.
The panel of 15 jurors was sworn in, and the trial began before presiding justice Hon. Sarah Weyland Ellis on Monday.
Crosbie has pleaded not guilty after being charged in March 2024 with raping a woman at the Omni Parker House, a hotel in Boston, that month.
He was visiting the city with members of the Dublin Fire Brigade for St. Patrick's Day celebrations.
Announcing the charges against Crosbie on Monday, March 18, last year, Assistant District Attorney Erin Murphy said that on Friday morning, March 15, Boston police interviewed a 28-year-old woman at Massachusetts General Hospital who told them she had been sexually assaulted at the Omni Parker House earlier that morning.
Detectives secured video surveillance from the hotel and from The Black Rose, a bar and restaurant in Boston, where both Crosbie and the victim were on Thursday evening.
Police learned that Crosbie had flown to Boston from Ireland earlier on Thursday with other members of the Brigade and that he was scheduled to leave the following Tuesday.
Crosbie was sharing a hotel room with a fellow firefighter, whom the victim said she had consensual sex with before they fell asleep in separate beds.
The victim alleged that she woke the following day to another man sexually assaulting her, later identifying that man as Crosbie.
The woman quoted Crosbie as saying, "I know you want this, he (the other man) fell asleep."
After being interviewed by police on the Saturday, Crosbie booked a flight for 10:10 pm that night, days before his scheduled departure date. At the airport, Crosbie boarded an even earlier flight, departing at around 7 pm. However, State police stopped the plane on the Logan Airport tarmac and removed Crosbie.
When the charges were announced, District Attorney Kevin Hayden commended the victim for coming forward.
His office also noted at the time: "All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt."
In a statement to IrishCentral when the charges were announced, the Dublin Fire Brigade said: "Dublin Fire Brigade Chief Fire Officer has been made aware that the Boston Police Department have begun a criminal investigation into an alleged serious case involving a member of Dublin Fire Brigade.
"The firefighter has immediately been placed on leave.
"We cannot comment on the specific circumstances but we would reiterate the high standards that we expect from all who represent our organisation at any event.
"As a result, we are conducting an internal investigation and establishing the facts in collaboration with the appropriate authorities and the organisers of the delegation.
"As this is a criminal investigation, we will not be making any further comment at this time."
Crosbie entered his not guilty plea on June 5, 2024. Cash bail was initially set at $100k, but that was reduced in August to $10k following a request from Crosbie's lawyer.
Crosbie, however, remains in jail.
Court records show that in July, prosecutors filed a motion requesting a DNA sample from Crosbie.
The Boston Globe reported that, according to court documents filed by the Suffolk District Attorney’s office, a genital swab from the victim revealed male DNA.
Crosbie initially objected to giving a sample, though the judge approved the prosecutor's request, and Crosbie gave an oral sample in August.
As the trial began on Monday, the Boston Globe noted that the status of the DNA testing "wasn’t immediately clear."
In December, the Irish Times reported that Assistant District Attorney Erin Murphy told the court she intended to "call several of the witnesses who were present here from Ireland."
The trial is set to continue this week in Boston.
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