Turns out Ghislaine Maxwell really is a sketch artist.
New York-based Illustrator Elizabeth Williams has 40 years of experience drawing people in court but says it was a first when Maxwell, on trial for sex-trafficking, started sketching her.
Williams was at Maxwell’s November pre-trial hearing when she said the British heiress, seated between her two lawyers, looked back at her and began staring while apparently drawing her, the Sun reported Friday. She did it a second time during jury selection.
Fellow illustrator Jane Rosenberg, who’s also at the Maxwell trial and was also drawn by Maxwell, created a picture of the weird encounter that went viral.
“It was like she didn’t think anyone would notice,” Williams said of the initial staring and drawing encounters. “She stared right at us, and it was definitely an odd moment.
“Maybe she was trying to psyche us out, or perhaps she was just missing human contact. But whatever the reason, it didn’t creep us out.
“She’s not exactly an intimidating person! The second time she did it, she turned right around to us. It was very deliberate.”
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Williams, who has covered many high-profile trials, including Harvey Weinstein’s, has never been drawn by a defendant.
However, she said Maxwell is not the first famous defendant to try her hand at courtroom artistry.
Cult leader Charles Manson used to draw his sketch artist in court, she added.
The sex-trafficking trial of Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged “madam” started Monday. It’s expected to last six weeks.
Prosecutors allege she and Epstein exploited girls as young as 14 between 1994 and 2004.