Michael Gillard sentenced to 10 years for raping 14-year-old girl after motorcycle ride

Michael Gillard, left, closes his eyes after being found guilty of rape in Muskingum County Common Pleas Court. On Tuesday he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Michael Gillard, left, closes his eyes after being found guilty of rape in Muskingum County Common Pleas Court. On Tuesday he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

ZANESVILLE — An Athens County man will spend a decade in prison for raping a teen in 2020.

Michael Gillard, 33, of Coolville, was sentenced Tuesday in Muskingum County Common Pleas Court on two counts of rape and one count of attempted rape. A jury convicted him on those charges April 12 following a week-long trial.

Prosecutors requested 20 years, but visiting Judge Daniel Hogan of Franklin County sentenced Gillard to 10.

Verdict: Jury finds Michael Gillard guilty of rape

On June 5, 2020, the Muskingum County Sheriff's Office was called to a home near Zanesville after a 14-year-old girl reported Gillard had raped her.

Gillard, who was 31 at the time, had taken the girl for a ride on his motorcycle earlier that day. He then took her to a relative's house across town, where he raped her.

The attempted rape charges stemmed from Gillard trying to get the girl to perform a sex act, which she resisted, according to officials.

DNA evidence was a focal point of the trial, with Gillard's defense attorney arguing the lack of DNA collected at the relative's home was enough to cast reasonable doubt.

Other DNA samples were still documented. Prosecutors said his DNA was found on the victim's chest and private areas, though the defense argued it came from the motorcycle ride, and was transferred while she was touching herself during a physical examination at Nationwide Children's Hospital.

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This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Michael Gillard gets 10 years for rape of Muskingum County teen