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A well-known fitness photographer who is awaiting trial on a host of child molestation charges has now married his alleged victim more than three years after the district attorney says the crimes occurred.
Jason James Ellis, 36, has been charged with six felony sexual assault counts including sexual penetration by a foreign object, unlawful sexual intercourse and oral copulation of a then-15-year-old aspiring model, according to court records.
The model is now 18, and the couple married Feb. 28 in Orange County, Calif., where Ellis has a thriving photography business shooting muscle magazines.
His trial is set for June 6.
Instances involving a victim who marries the defendant charged with assaulting them are rare, Orange County Deputy District Attorney Drew Haughton told the Daily Pilot newspaper.
"I typically saw weddings more in the context where there was a pregnancy involved and they wanted to keep the family together," Haughton said. "I don't think I've ever seen one with this large an age difference."
He said their marriage didn't change his confidence in the case.
"I think whether they're married or not, he committed a crime because we have evidence to believe he had sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old female," Haughton told the Pilot.
According to the district attorney's office, the case unfolded like this:
Ellis met the victim, dubbed "Jane Doe," when she was 14. They were introduced by Ellis' live-in fianc?e, Michelle Hecker, under the pretense that the girl would become a model. Hecker is listed on LinkedIn as Ellis' "photo rep."
Soon, Ellis and the girl began having dinner and movie dates and were seen kissing and touching in public.
Hecker, then 31, would facilitate the relationship by picking up the girl at home under the guise of taking her horseback riding. The girl's parents trusted Hecker, who would have Doe dress up in riding clothes and then change out of them during her dates with Ellis.
The girl's parents became suspicious over the amount of time she was spending with Hecker and hired a private investigator to find out what was happening. Evidence was collected -- including DNA -- of a sexual relationship in 2007 and 2008 that was turned over to police.
Hecker was initially charged with the same counts as Ellis, but her case was dismissed when Ellis and the teen married.
"We recently dismissed the charges against Hecker because the victim is now refusing to cooperate, and we are unable to prove a case against Hecker beyond a reasonable doubt without Jane Doe's testimony," district attorney spokeswoman Farrah Emami told AOL News.
Emami said she didn't know what could have motivated Hecker to allegedly become involved in the case.
Sponsored LinksCalls to Ellis' and Hecker's attorneys were not returned, and Ellis did not return a call placed at his studio.
The photographer's website claims he is "King of Covers" and "The World's #1 Fitness Photographer" with "Over 100 magazine covers." A photo shows him sitting in a brocade jacket on a throne.
He routinely photographs covers of magazines such as Muscle and Fitness, Olympian's News, Men's Workout, and Exercise and Health.
Jason James Ellis, 36, has been charged with six felony sexual assault counts including sexual penetration by a foreign object, unlawful sexual intercourse and oral copulation of a then-15-year-old aspiring model, according to court records.
The model is now 18, and the couple married Feb. 28 in Orange County, Calif., where Ellis has a thriving photography business shooting muscle magazines.
His trial is set for June 6.
Instances involving a victim who marries the defendant charged with assaulting them are rare, Orange County Deputy District Attorney Drew Haughton told the Daily Pilot newspaper.
"I typically saw weddings more in the context where there was a pregnancy involved and they wanted to keep the family together," Haughton said. "I don't think I've ever seen one with this large an age difference."
He said their marriage didn't change his confidence in the case.
"I think whether they're married or not, he committed a crime because we have evidence to believe he had sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old female," Haughton told the Pilot.
According to the district attorney's office, the case unfolded like this:
Ellis met the victim, dubbed "Jane Doe," when she was 14. They were introduced by Ellis' live-in fianc?e, Michelle Hecker, under the pretense that the girl would become a model. Hecker is listed on LinkedIn as Ellis' "photo rep."
Soon, Ellis and the girl began having dinner and movie dates and were seen kissing and touching in public.
Hecker, then 31, would facilitate the relationship by picking up the girl at home under the guise of taking her horseback riding. The girl's parents trusted Hecker, who would have Doe dress up in riding clothes and then change out of them during her dates with Ellis.
The girl's parents became suspicious over the amount of time she was spending with Hecker and hired a private investigator to find out what was happening. Evidence was collected -- including DNA -- of a sexual relationship in 2007 and 2008 that was turned over to police.
Hecker was initially charged with the same counts as Ellis, but her case was dismissed when Ellis and the teen married.
"We recently dismissed the charges against Hecker because the victim is now refusing to cooperate, and we are unable to prove a case against Hecker beyond a reasonable doubt without Jane Doe's testimony," district attorney spokeswoman Farrah Emami told AOL News.
Emami said she didn't know what could have motivated Hecker to allegedly become involved in the case.
Sponsored LinksCalls to Ellis' and Hecker's attorneys were not returned, and Ellis did not return a call placed at his studio.
The photographer's website claims he is "King of Covers" and "The World's #1 Fitness Photographer" with "Over 100 magazine covers." A photo shows him sitting in a brocade jacket on a throne.
He routinely photographs covers of magazines such as Muscle and Fitness, Olympian's News, Men's Workout, and Exercise and Health.