In room 23 of Denver District Court, native Memphian Matthew James Gifford took the witness stand to testify against a man who was once so close to his family that he called him uncle.
The 30-year-old Gifford told a jury last week about years of sexual assaults allegedly perpetrated by Eugene Summers in a case that stretches back more than 25 years and has ties to Memphis.
Denver prosecutors allege that during the 1989-90 school year, Summers committed second-degree kidnapping against Gifford, then an 11-year-old boy, whom he also sexually assaulted. At the time, Gifford was visiting his aunt and uncle, with whom Summers lived.
"I'm glad that my part of the testimony is over, but I definitely feel like I did the right thing," Gifford said.
Gifford's family met Summers in the late 1970s in Memphis, when he was known as Eugene Barksdale. They met at St. Patrick's Church Downtown, where Matthew's grandparents, Betty and Charley Gifford, were long-time parishioners.
"He came from a single-parent household, lived in the area and came to church through our outreach to the youth in the neighborhood," said Theresa Gifford, Matthew's mother, who still lives in Memphis.
"My parents took a liking to him for some reason, and as time went by, he became like one of the family, eventually moving into my parents' house. My mother tutored him through college."
Matthew's grandmother recommended Summers for jobs in Memphis as a counselor for at-risk youths after he graduated.
In 1990, Matthew's grandmother moved to Denver and shortly thereafter, Summers did as well. The Giffords remained close to Summers.
Then in April 2007, Summers was arrested. Investigators alleged that, while working as a counselor for Denver Public Schools, he began molesting an 11-year-old boy at an elementary school in 1992 and 1993. The charges further alleged that Summers resumed molesting the victim in 1995 and 1996 while working at a middle school the victim attended.
In that case, Denver officials say, Summers pleaded not guilty to 32 counts, including charges of sexual assault on a child, sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust, attempted sexual assault on a child and sexual assault on a child, pattern of abuse.
A recent Colorado Supreme Court decision regarding the statute of limitations calls into question whether he will face prosecution in that case.
In 2007, however, Matthew's grandmother told him she planned to testify on Summers' behalf as a character witness. Matthew couldn't let her do that, so he revealed the secret he'd kept his entire life.
Soon after, Matthew Gifford filed a police report, telling investigators details of every alleged instance of sexual abuse, which he says began in Memphis when he was between 3 and 5 years old.
"This monster had to be stopped," Gifford said in a telephone interview from Denver. "Thinking about it more, about his life and what's he's done, he's taken my family, from the day he met them, and used them to help him get close to children and be in a position of power over children. And I take that very personally."
The Denver public defender representing Summers did not return a call for comment.
Lynn Kimbrough, communications director for the Denver district attorney's office, described the charges against Summers as "particularly heinous." He resigned from Denver Public Schools in March 2008.
"Investigators have publicly stated there is a likelihood of additional victims," Kimbrough said.
Shelby County Deputy Dist. Atty. Gen. James Challen said the statute of limitations on sex crimes in Tennessee depends on several factors, including the type of offense, what the law was when the offense was alleged to have occurred and the age of the victim at the time.
"If there's somebody out there that feels like they're a victim of this individual while he was in the state of Tennessee, like anything, we encourage people to report that to law enforcement," he said.
Theresa Gifford, Matthew's mother, sat in the courtroom, listening as her son testified. She sometimes blames herself, she said, and wonders how she missed signs.
"I am so proud of my son and all of the other young men who are standing up to Eugene so that hopefully he will never be allowed to prey again on another child," she said.
Testimony in the case against Summers is expected to continue this week.
"If there are any other victims in Memphis, I would like them to know that he can't hurt them anymore," Matthew Gifford said. "If they come forward, it would only help other people from getting hurt in the future.
"It's hard to believe, but it really helps to talk about it."
__________________
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/jun/07/assault-case-goes-back-02/
