A Virginia judge dismissed rape and sodomy charges against former Fox News correspondent and WDBJ reporter Orlando Salinas Wednesday, the day a trial was set to begin.
“God is good,” Salinas told his former station. “To my wife, to my children, to my brothers and sisters, to my nieces and nephews, I’m sorry. As I’ve said before sometimes it’s not enough to say you’re sorry when things are egregious enough, you need to ask for forgiveness and that’s what I’m doing.”
Salinas was arrested in July, accused of raping a 64 year old woman. Prosecutors Wednesday conceded they could not prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt, citing issues with the victim’s memory.
“This is not a question of believing the victim’s account but a question of what we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt,” prosecutor Mary Pettitt told the Roanoke Times. “We considered our victim’s numerous physical challenges — hip and back pain requiring use of a walker, hearing loss, and anxiety over the trial — which necessitate use of medications which affect her memory. We concluded we could not prove our case and promptly moved to release Salinas from custody.”
Salinas said he hoped to one day return to journalism.