Prosecution presents its case against Joshua Sills; defense expected to begin Thursday
CAMBRIDGE − A jury trial for an NFL player from Sarahsville is expected to wrap up Friday in Guernsey County Common Pleas Court.
Joshua M. Sills, 25, was indicted in February on one count of rape and one count of kidnapping, both first-degree felonies, in connection with an incident in December 2019. Sills is accused of forcing a woman to engage in non-consensual sexual activity. She's being identified only as M.M. Sills entered not guilty pleas to the charges and posted a $25,000 bond.
Jury selection on Monday occurred at the Pritchard Laughlin Civic Center, where a 100 potential jurors called. The court stated this was a larger number than usual because of the case being high-profile, which led to the venue change. The case however is being tried at the Guernsey County Courthouse.
Many of the potential jurors said they knew about the case from news coverage and social media. Others said they knew Sills personally or of him from his days as a standout football player at Meadowbrook High School.
Tuesday featured opening statements and witnesses for the prosecution of M.M.'s cousin and the deputy who took the victim's statement at the hospital and rape kit for processing.
Testimony on Wednesday was given by a friend of the woman who was present the night in question, the nurse who examined M.M. at the hospital and a technician from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, who examined the rape kit and other evidence.
The prosecution was expected to wrap up its case Thursday with the police detective who investigated the case and a medical doctor who examined M.M. The defense was expected to begin presenting its side Thursday afternoon. On Wednesday, the defense said it was unsure how many witnesses may be called, but was cognizant of wrapping it up by Friday afternoon. Jury deliberation is expected to go into next week.
The story told through the cousin and the victim's friend was of a group of friends going to four different bars on the night in question. Sills met up with them later in the night. They knew him from high school. He was a student and football player for West Virginia University at the time.
Sills agreed to drive two of the women and one of the men home. The guy was dropped off and the victim and her cousin were taken to the cousin's home.
The cousin went into the house and the other woman said she would be along in a minute. The prosecution stated the female was held in the truck against her will and forced to perform oral sex on Sills. She was also strangled and bit. The defense said everything was consensual.
The victim went to the hospital for treatment the next morning. Leslie Doerfler, the sexual assault nurse examiner, observed bruises on the right ear, back of neck and left thigh with M.M. complaining of pain in her neck and left clavicle. She said during the examination M.M. was tearful, nervous, serious and solemn and spoke with a raspy voice.
Doerfler read from the event history M.M. relayed to her at the time of the examination at OhioHealth Southeastern Medical Center. The victim said Sills grabbed her leg and squeezed hard. He also grabbed her by her ponytail and pull her into him, kissing her. He then grabbed her by the neck and threw M.M. down onto the seat so a friend who had arrived would not see them in the pickup truck.
Sills allegedly touched M.M. on the outside of her pants. She said "no" and tried to get away. He continued to grab M.M. by the neck and ponytail and forced her to perform oral sex on him. He allegedly told M.M. "you would never give me the time of day in high school. You were too good for me."
The defense questioned law enforcement about not searching or impounding Sills’ pickup truck, never getting the video from the bar and not immediately confiscating cell phones of the group of friends, who were communicating via Snapchat. They also questioned M.M.'s mother being present for the hospital examination. She's also a sexual assault nurse examiner and specifically called Doerfler in on the matter. The defense disputed inconsistencies in witness statements and errors in procedural matters by officials as well.
Sills is an offensive lineman who was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2022 by the Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football at West Virginia University for four years before transferring for a fifth year at Oklahoma State University.
Sills only appeared in one game as a reserve this past season for the Eagles. When the indictment was issued, the Eagles released a statement saying the organization was aware of the legal matter. Sills is still listed on the Eagles website as team member.
Prosecution is being handled by Erik Spitzer and William Walton II of the Ohio Attorney General's Office. Sills is represented by Michael Connick, A. Steven Dever and Dennis LoConti.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Rape trial expected to wrap up on Friday for NFL player Josh Sills
