Shock Verdict: Ex-Republican Lawmaker Guilty of Raping Teen Intern
After 11 hours of deliberation, an Idaho jury has found disgraced ex-Idaho GOP state lawmaker Aaron von Ehlinger guilty of raping a 19-year-old intern last year after a dinner date.
The decision followed a lurid three-day trial in which von Ehlinger vehemently disputed the allegations, insisting the encounter had been consensual, and his accuser, who testified under the pseudonym Jane Doe, fled the courtroom mid-way through her emotional testimony.
Her dramatic exit meant her testimony was struck entirely, setting up a seemingly insurmountable hurdle for prosecutors, criminal defense lawyer David P. Shapiro said prior to the verdict.
“It will be very, very difficult, if not impossible, to get a conviction without her testimony,” Shapiro, who was not involved with the case but has handled many similar ones, had predicted to The Daily Beast.
But the jury was able to hear powerful testimony from Doe’s mother, as well as a hospital nurse who examined Doe in the aftermath of the attack, finding their statements credible enough to convict the failed politician.
more:
http://news.yahoo.com/ex-republican-lawmaker-guilty-raping-194815968.html
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