NEED TO KNOW
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Elena Bardin, 28, was arrested in April and accused of sexually abusing one of her incarcerated students at the Adair Juvenile Detention Center in Kentucky
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She was also accused of soliciting the teenager to kill her 49-year-old husband, Michael, who is also the father of her 5-year-old child
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A jury found Bardin guilty on one count of sexual abuse, one count of unlawful transaction with a minor, and one count of distributing obscene material to a minor — but not guilty of solicitation of murder
The trial of a Kentucky woman accused of sexually abusing a student at a juvenile detention facility and then soliciting the teenager to kill her husband has come to an end in September.
Elena Bardin, 28, was arrested in April after police accused the married mother of molesting an incarcerated teen at the Adair Juvenile Detention Center — and then asking the boy to murder her 49-year-old husband.
She was initially charged with three counts of sexual abuse, solicitation of murder and distribution of obscene material for “letters and explicit material” found in the boy’s room, according to a court records citation obtained by PEOPLE.
The sexual abuse counts each involved an incident when she touched the minor’s genitals, according to a bill of particulars filed in the case.
After her arrest, three additional counts of unlawful transaction with a minor were added to the charges she faced, alleging that she caused the minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity.
In the end, the jury convicted her on three counts — one count of sexual abuse, one count of unlawful transaction with a minor and distribution of obscene material.
That conviction came after a two-day trial during which the defendant’s estranged husband Michael Bardin and the alleged victim both took the stand to testify for the prosecution.
Bardin declined to testify in her own defense and her attorneys called no witnesses at trial.
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Bardin is now set to be sentenced on Nov. 13, with the jury recommending she be sentenced to four years for the sexual abuse charge and 10 years for the unlawful transaction charge — and that those be consecutive sentences.
Her lawyer has already filed a motion announcing that he will object to the verdict at the sentencing hearing and request a new trial or acquittal on all charges.
Bardin’s attorney also claims in that motion that the minor who is accusing his client of these crimes has been inconsistent in his recollection of the alleged incidents.
The other court battle Bardin is now facing involves visitation with her 5-year-old child after her husband filed for divorce one month after her arrest.
That case is ongoing.
Bardin’s lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.
Read the original article on People
