Trial starts for ex software exec accused of drugging, sexually abusing employees

By John Simond

The fight over the fate of Houston software executive Henri Morris is set to start Tuesday at the federal courthouse. He is accused of drugging and sexually abusing three female employees who on individual occasions had accompanied him on out of town business trips.

After a jury is selected, opening arguments could begin as soon as this afternoon.

Each of the women told authorities they’d been drinking with Morris, experienced a period of blacking out, and awakened in various states of confusion disarray.

In an added twist, Morris, who was the head of Edible Software, has twice admitted to his crimes as part of a plea agreement that would have capped his prison time at one year.

He signed a 22-page agreement that describes him drugging the women in places such as New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New Orleans, peeling off their clothes and in some cases snapping photos with a cellphone.

After hearing his alleged victim’s testify, that deal was later rejected by U.S. District Judge Melinda Harmon who said that the case needed to be heard by a jury.

Morris, 67, faces three counts that each carry  up to 10 years in federal prison without the possibility of parole.

As noted in a recent Houston Chronicle article available to subscribers, despite Morris making earlier admissions, the courtroom fight may still be quite tough:

Just because Morris was willing to plead guilty in exchange for leniency does not mean that prosecutors will now be able to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, said Geoffrey Corn, a South Texas College of Law professor and former Army lawyer.

“This is a classic opportunity to demonstrate or highlight the true meaning of the presumption of innocence,” Corn said. “It does not matter how obviously guilty someone is. What matters is the state follow the process and meet its burden in court.”