High court won’t make unanimous jury requirement retroactive
The Supreme Court ruled Monday that prisoners who were convicted by non-unanimous juries before the high court barred the practice a year ago don’t need to be retried.
Rape
Articles
Over Thomas’ dissent, SCOTUS rejects West Point rape appeal
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal from a woman who says she was raped as a West Point cadet, with Justice Clarence Thomas alone arguing that the court should have heard her case.
Justices partially reverse arbitration in Carmel assisted living rape suit
Indiana Supreme Court justices reversed a determination that a guardian was required to arbitrate claims against a screening company arising from an employee’s sexual assault on a resident of a Carmel assisted living facility.
Lawyers: Inmate set for Tuesday execution is seriously mentally ill, ineligible for death penalty
“Broken before she was born.” That’s how lawyers describe Lisa Marie Montgomery, the only woman on federal death row and the next person scheduled for execution. Her lawyers and advocates who cite her horrific history of childhood abuse and trauma are calling on President Donald Trump to commute her sentence to life without parole or to grant her a reprieve.
COA affirms new rape sentence consecutive to other cases
The Indiana Court of Appeals has affirmed a new sentencing order that cut a man’s decades-long rape sentence by more than half, finding that the trial court has authority to order his new sentence run consecutively to sentences for his other convictions.
Supreme Court wrestles with nonunanimous jury cases
The Supreme Court on Wednesday struggled with whether to require new trials for potentially thousands of prisoners who were convicted by nonunanimous juries before the court barred the practice earlier this year.
Man convicted of rape not denied an impartial jury, COA rules
The Indiana Court of Appeals has affirmed a Hancock County man’s conviction for felony rape, finding he was not denied an impartial jury, among other things.
Compelled contract? Indiana Supreme Court considers arbitration agreement in nursing home lawsuit
After hearing oral argument on petition to transfer Sept. 24, the court must now decide if it will rule in a dispute filed by an elderly woman and her representative against the Carmel assisted living facility where the woman once lived and an independent contractor hired by the facility who is accused of raping her.
Mishawaka man faces charges in fatal shooting, sexual assault
A 37-year-old man faces charges in the fatal shooting of one woman and wounding of another in northern Indiana.
Jury convicts Jeffersonville man accused of killing, cannibalism
A southern Indiana man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and eating parts of her body was convicted of a murder charge Friday.
7th Circuit rules for high school in Title IX harassment suit
A woman who argued that her western Indiana high school inadequately responded to her alleged sexual harassment while she was a student there did not sway the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse a federal judge’s grant of summary judgment to the school on her claims.
Prosecutors: Envelope DNA linked man to cold case rapes, assaults
A man is being held in Shelbyville on a $20 million bond after he was linked to a series of sexual assaults in a central Indiana county more than 30 years ago by his DNA on an envelope for a utility bill payment, authorities said.
Rape convictions affirmed but probation condition ruled unconstitutional
An appeals court Monday upheld an aggregate 24-year sentence for a man convicted of three counts of rape, but it also found a condition of probation that barred him from visiting “businesses that sell sexual devices or aids” was unconstitutionally broad.
Judge nixes Trump bid to delay suit from woman alleging rape
A New York judge knocked down President Donald Trump’s bid to delay a lawsuit from a woman who accused him of rape, ruling in a decision released Thursday that the presidency doesn’t shield him from the case.
COA affirms sentence for man’s rape, battery convictions
The Indiana Court of Appeals has affirmed a man’s decades-long sentence for his rape and battery convictions, finding nothing wrong with his sentence or the decision to admit certain statements from the victim.
Justice Department schedules 2 additional federal executions
The Justice Department scheduled two additional federal executions on Friday, an announcement that comes weeks after it fought off last-minute legal challenges and successfully resumed federal executions following a 17-year pause.
7th Circuit temporarily stays federal execution set for next week
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has temporarily stayed an execution scheduled for next week after finding that two issues raised by a Terre Haute inmate were “worthy of further exploration.” Wesley Ira Purkey’s execution was scheduled for July 15, but now it will be stayed “pending the completion of proceedings in the Seventh Circuit.”
Justices reduce sentence for man convicted of rape
In granting a petition to transfer, Indiana Supreme Court justices lowered a man’s sentence after he was convicted of three counts of felony rape. A dissenting justice, however, would have denied transfer in the case.
Ex-youth coach’s 15-year rape sentence upheld on appeal
The Indiana Court of Appeals has upheld a former youth football coach’s 15-year prison sentence for raping the sister of one of his players after luring her to his Fort Wayne home with the promise of a cheerleading coaching position.
Indy-based NCAA faces lawsuit over violence against women at colleges
The Indianapolis-based NCAA is facing a federal lawsuit accusing the organization of failing to address gender-based violence by male athletes against female students at colleges and universities.