Raymond Moss found guilty of criminal sexual assault
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Raymond E. Moss, 47, was found guilty on two counts of criminal sexual assault and two counts of domestic battery Tuesday night at the Saline County Courthouse following a five-day jury trial. Moss was found not guilty on two counts of unlawful restraint.
State's Attorney Mike Henshaw said jurors made the right decisions.
All the charges in the case were connected to an event that occurred in Saline County in September 2010.
Closing arguments were heard Tuesday morning in the case, first by the state and then by the defense. Assistant State's Attorney Eva Walker gave closing arguments for the prosecution.
Walker gave a summary of the evidence presented by the state, and read some of the testimony given by victims during the trial.
"There's no question Raymond Moss beat the heck out of (her)," said Walker.
Walker also discussed testimony given by the victim about the sexual assault.
"It's very clear she did not consent to any of those acts," Walker said during her closing arguments.
She said Moss' testimony was unreliable and does not stand up to the other witnesses and evidence presented by the state.
"The evidence shows Raymond Moss is a mean, drug-using sexual-assaulter of women," said Walker. "He uses his superior size to take what he wants."
She ended her argument by asking the jury to find Moss guilty on all six of the counts with which he was charged.
Defense Attorney Fred Turner then gave his closing arguments. He showed photographs to the jury that were taken of the victim the day after the assault and beating. Turner said that if Moss had stomped the woman in the face twice along with delivering dozens of full-force punches to the face, as the woman testified in court, the pictures would have been taken in the morgue.
Instead, the photographs showed some injury to the eye, which Turner characterized as "minor." The victim received no broken bones and had no damage to the cartilage in her nose.
Turner also attacked the credibility of the victim, who he said made several inconsistent statements throughout the trial.
"Truth never changes," said Turner. "It is always the same."
He also pointed out to the jury that much of the evidence presented by the state was unrelated to the charges for which Moss was on trial. Because he was on trial for sexual assault, evidence from other sexual assaults reported to have been committed by Moss were admissible as evidence in the trial.
"It is very easy to lose track of what we're here to do," said Turner.
After closing arguments, the jury deliberated in the jury room for approximately seven hours. After reaching a verdict, Chief Judge Mark Clarke, who oversaw the trial, thanked the jurors for their service and dismissed them.
Henshaw said he was pleased with the outcome of the trial.
"I think the jury, in light of the evidence presented during the trial, made the right decision. We're pleased with it," said Henshaw. "And I give all the credit in the world to my assistant Eva Walker, who put the case together."
Henshaw also said the State's Attorney's office plans to go ahead with another case in which Moss is charged with sexual assault.
That case was set to go to jury trial next week, but has been continued to June 26.
The case that was on trial this week is set for a sentencing hearing at 1 p.m. April 27.