Guill's ex-wife testifies in sex abuse trial

THOMPSON FALLS, Mont. - Taking the stand for almost three hours, Candice Guill testified Tuesday as the prosecution's leading witness in a case where her ex-husband is charged for various counts of incest and sexual abuse of their daughter.

Douglas Guill is charged with one count of sexual assault, two counts of incest and two counts of sexual assault without consent, each charge a felony. The trial began Tuesday morning with opening statements from the prosecution and the defense.

The prosecution called Candice Guill to the stand at the Sanders County Courthouse in Thompson Falls, where she told the jury about the years she spent living with Douglas. On a few occasions, she became emotional, especially when describing the room she said Douglas forced her to stay in when they were living in Heron, a small community west of Thompson Falls.

Montana Assistant District Attorney Daniel Guzynski, who is serving as a special prosecutor for the case, asked Guill whether she preferred a bedroom on the top floor or a room in the basement with concrete walls. Guill began sobbing, saying she preferred the room upstairs because “it had walls and a ceiling and windows.”

During the prosecution's opening statements, Sanders County Attorney Coleen Magera addressed the jury, as though she was telling a story of the life of the Guills. She told them of Douglas and Candice Guill's early marriage, of their children's upbringing, and of the alleged acts of sexual abuse. Magera told the jury that what she and Douglas Guill's attorney, Michael Sherwood, said in their opening statements was not evidence, but that the testimony they would hear would be.

Sherwood told the jury that the case was not a “whodunit,” but a case of whether or not “it happened.” He also told the story of the Guill family, saying Douglas will deny the allegations of sexual abuse. He told the jury of contradictions in past statements made by the alleged victim.

Guzynski asked Candice Guill a plethora of questions, including some regarding her marriage to Douglas. Guill said that during the initial years of their marriage, Douglas and Candice were forced to move around a lot and they struggled financially, but overall she was happy.

“I didn't care about the money,” Guill said. “I loved Douglas.”

Candice Guill said she and Douglas knew each other 10 days when they married in January 1973. She said she had wanted children at the time of their marriage, but Douglas did not. Guill said it wasn't until after her husband had what she described as a born again religious experience that he also wanted to have children. She said many times after that he told her he was called by God.

Candice Guill said that at some points during their financially rocky years, she and Douglas lived in very poor conditions. At one point, she said they were residing in Idaho, living in a small box with no heat that Douglas built. She said she did not leave her husband or their difficult life together because she “loved him and believed in him.”

Douglas Guill's present wife Nicole lived with the Guill family before she and Douglas were married. She has also been charged with two counts of felony assault and one count of misdemeanor assault for allegedly participating in acts of sexual abuse between Douglas and his daughter. Initially, the Guills were to be tried jointly, but during the pretrial proceedings Judge Deborah Kim Christopher granted a continuance filed by Nicole Guill's lawyer, Noel Larivee.

Nicole Guill was present at the courthouse during the jury selection Monday and Tuesday for the trial, although, as a possible witness, she was not allowed in the courtroom for most of the proceedings.

Beginning with 68 prospective jurors, the jury selection process Monday shaped up to be a day-long affair because many people were eliminated for various reasons. It was late in the afternoon when the numbers were whittled down to 12 jurors and two alternates made up of seven women and five men.

Many were excused because of personal relationships with county law enforcement officers involved in the case. Others were excluded due to their prior knowledge of the Guills' arrest and the charges they faced. But many who had already read or heard about the upcoming trial were not immediately released because they felt they could set aside any previous knowledge and hear the case fairly.

Tuesday's proceedings ended with Guzynski stating that the prosecution had no further questions for Candice Guill. The trial, which is presumed to last days, will take the stand again Wednesday at 9 a.m. when the defense will cross-examine.