The jury of a 76-year-old’s rape case heard the final pieces of evidence from the state and from the defense at the Athens County Court of Common Pleas Wednesday.
Thomas Shifflet received charges of three counts of gross sexual imposition, one count of sexual imposition and one count of rape after allegedly molesting 3-, 7-, 11- and 12-year-old children between Nov. 2010 and June 2011 and allegedly raping a 4-year-old in June 2011, according to court documents.
After hearing all of the evidence and testimonies, the jury will hear the state and defense’s closing arguments Thursday morning, and will then take all of the time they need to reach a conclusion.
Thus far, the jury has heard testimonies from pediatric nurses, forensic scientists and the victims themselves.
However, the children provided their testimonies last week via DVD recordings, which were recorded in a room separate from the courtroom.
Nurses said that while the patients showed an extensive amount of redness in their genital areas, it was not necessarily caused from molestation. It could be caused by a number of things, such as poor hygiene.
Children showed “normal” results after their examinations, but 95 percent of sexually abused children show “normal” results, so molestation cannot be ruled out yet, said Gail Hornor, pediatric nurse at Columbus Children’s Hospital who treated a victim showing normal results.
After medical examinations, the victims were tested for DNA. Some rape kits showed no signs of bodily fluids while others did; however, the samples were too small to determine whose DNA it was, said Sarah Glass, a forensic scientist from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, in her testimony Tuesday.
Shifflet is currently out of jail, but is being monitored on an electric device. Based on the jury’s decision, he could face over 25 years in prison and a fine of up to $30,500, according to the Ohio Revised Code.
Athens County Prosecutor Keller Blackburn said he was unable to comment on the trial because it is an ongoing case represented by the County Prosecutor’s Office.
The jury will hear the state and defense’s closing arguments Thursday at 9 a.m. and will take as much time as necessary to come to a conclusion.
kf398711@ohiou.edu
