Judge lets rape video be shown

Accused man's wife objects to it during divorce proceeding

DALLAS (AP) Over protests from the traumatized wife of accused rapist Steven
A. Sera, a judge on Monday allowed the viewing of a videotape that allegedly
shows Sera raping three drugged women.

The viewing took place during a hearing in the divorce case between Sera and his
wife, Nancy.

Steven Sera, 39, is accused of raping a 19yearold woman in Springfield, Mo.,
last September; a 26yearold woman in Warren, Ark., last November; and a
32yearold woman in Colleyville, Texas, a Dallas suburb, last December.

He was arrested July 11 by police in Colleyville after officers viewed the
videotape that showed a man having sex with women who apparently had been
drugged.

Mrs. Sera said she found the videotape on June 13 while looking for a blank
tape. She turned it over to a private investigator, who gave it to police.

She criticized Judge Brenda Green's decision to allow the tape to be played in
court Monday. The courtroom was quiet as the judge and attorneys watched more
than 30 minutes of the tape in a dimly lit courtroom.

"I was hoping they wouldn't make me go through it again," said Mrs. Sera.

Steven Sera was not in court Monday. He is jailed in Arkansas in lieu of $1
million bond on rape and kidnapping charges.

Mrs. Sera's attorney, Jack Pate, said Steven Sera's attorney, Mark Rosenfield,
was to blame for bringing the tape into the case. Rosenfield declined comment
but said the judge's decision could possibly be scrutinized by an appeals court.

Police who searched Steven Sera's residence earlier this year said they found
Rohypnol, the socalled "date rape" pill. He is accused of sedating the women on
the tape with Rohypnol and raping them after they became unconscious.

Steven Sera had been on business trips to Missouri and Arkansas at the times the
attacks occurred. Police said they believe he carried a video camera and
Rohypnol on his trips.

Officials say none of the women was aware of the assaults shown on the videotape
until the tape was shown to them.

Although the drug is illegal in the United States, it is used legally in other
countries to treat sleeplessness, anxiety, convulsions and muscle tension. It
generally causes sedation, amnesia, muscle relaxation and sleep.