Testimony continues in rape trial
Oct. 14—LIMA — Testimony continued in a Lima man's rape trial after Allen County Common Pleas Court Judge Terri Kohlrieser ruled that the alleged rape victim who began testimony Wednesday cannot be questioned about any past sexual history.
Jourdyn Rawlins, 19, is charged with rape of two different women eight months apart in September 2020 and May 2021.
In continuing her testimony from Wednesday, the alleged victim from May 26, 2021, said she told Rawlins she was on her period because he said he had his house to himself, so she assumed he wanted to have sex. She said she made it clear throughout the encounter that she was not open to having sex.
The woman confirmed that as she stated to Jordyn Rider of Allen County Children Services, Rawlins held his hand over her mouth while he held her down by the wrists. She said she did not share these details in all her recollections because there were many others.
The woman's friend, whom The Lima News has chosen not to identify to protect her identity, testified that he picked the woman up from her home after she texted him about what happened. He said the woman was crying and "very distraught."
The woman's friend said she told him that she and Rawlins had sat down to watch a movie when he put her on the bed and raped her vaginally.
The man said he took her to get milkshakes and tried to calm her down, before they went to his house and talked to his mother. Shortly after, he took her to Mercy Health-St. Rita's Medical Center for a sexual assault exam.
Harvest Nuss, the nurse who performed the exam on the woman, read a statement given to her by the woman, in which the woman said she had kept trying to get her clothes back on after Rawlins removed them. She said she kept moving out of the way when Rawlins was trying to remove her underwear.
Nuss said she performed the exam, collecting samples and her clothing for analysis. She said she did not note any physical trauma on the woman, but that fact does not mean no rape occurred.
Erika Jimenez, a DNA forensic scientist for the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, testified that she analyzed the DNA samples from both alleged victims of Rawlins. She said DNA likely to be Rawlins' was found on samples from the alleged May 2021 victim. Male foreign DNA that was Rawlins' or that of a male relative was found on samples from the alleged September 2020 victim.
Lima Police Juvenile Investigator Trent Kunkleman said he investigated both cases. He said in both cases, only the rape kits and Rawlins' DNA samples were tested by BCI. Other evidence, such as couch cushions, clothing and bed sheets, was not tested due to DNA being found in samples from the rape kits.
Kunkleman said he did not observe any physical trauma on either of the alleged victims.
The state rested its case Thursday. The defense will present its case beginning Friday at 9 a.m.
