Florida man who raped his wife, cross-examined her at trial, gets life in prison
Trevor Summers and Alisa Mathewson were married for 16 years
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Florida man who abruptly fired his lawyers, so he could cross-examine the ex-wife he kidnapped, raped and tried to murder was hit with a sentence of life without the possibility of parole Monday in a Tampa courtroom.
Trevor Summers, 45, was convicted in August of all 11 counts against him for the torture of his then-estranged wife, Alisa Mathewson, who is also the mother of his five children.
She was present for the sentencing, according to a court spokesman.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In a bizarre twist, Summers decided to represent himself after Mathewson testified on direct that he took her hostage, hogtied her and sexually assaulted her during a terrifying two-day ordeal that began March 11, 2017, in which she thought she was going to die.
A FLORIDA MAN ON TRIAL FOR RAPE OF EX-WIFE FIRES LAWYER AND CROSS-EXAMINES VICTIM
A photo combination of Alisa Matthewson, left, and Trevor Summers in Hillsborough County Circuit Court. Summers fired his lawyer so he could cross-examine his ex-wife. He was found guilty of raping and kidnapping her in a murder-suicide plot. (Law&Crime )
The 43-year-old, who has since remarried, was grilled for hours by her abuser in Hillsborough County Circuit Court.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Did I threaten you to have sex?" Summers asked Mathewson, who was visibly uncomfortable.
FLORIDA MAN FOUND GUILTY OF RAPING WIFE AFTER HE FIRES LAWYER SO HE CAN CROSS-EXAMINE HER
"You broke into my home in the middle of the night when I was sleeping, attacked me and tied me up. Yes, I take that as you threatened me to have sex with you. You forced me to have sex with you," she said, growing increasingly more agitated. "You raped me!"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Trevor Summers is on trial for kidnapping, raping and trying to murder his then-estranged wife, Alisa Mathewson. (Facebook)
Summers, in an eerily calm voice, asked, "So, you're calling it rape?"
"That is the definition of rape!" she shot back.
Summers hatched a murder-suicide plot after his wife of 16 years left him and began dating other men. He sent his children to his home, crawled through a window of Mathewson's house and tied her up with Christmas lights in the middle of the night.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}She testified that he raped her twice, smothered her with a pillow until she lost consciousness and strangled her with a rope — all despite an order of protection barring all contact.
Trevor Summers cross-examines his ex-wife, Alisa Mathewson in a Tampa courtroom after abuptly firing his lawyers. He was convicted of kidnaping, raping and trying to murder the mother of his five children. (Law&Crime)
The deranged father wrote goodbye letters to his children promising that their mom and dad would be watching from heaven — but police closed in before he executed the final stage of his warped plan.
After the trial ended, Mathewson told Inside Edition that she was horrified when she learned he'd be allowed to question her.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I felt sick to my stomach that he was going to do this, but I knew he would," she said. "He is a textbook narcissist."
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She said she believes he fired his attorneys, so he could torment her on the stand.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"He wanted to cross- examine me," she said. "He wanted to have that moment in which to rattle me or just continue to abuse me."
Summers couldn't immediately be reached four comment.