Opinion ID: 2621432
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 33

Heading: Earlier Rape of R.S.

Text: ś 270 R.S. testified that on the evening of August 20, 1998, she left an acquaintance's house to return home. She stopped briefly to speak to another acquaintance she ran into along the way. While speaking with this acquaintance, R.S. spotted a vehicle that she mistakenly believed belonged to a friend. R.S. went over to the car only to discover the driver was Gregory. He offered her a lift home. After initially refusing the offer, R.S. got into the car. When Gregory failed to turn where R.S. directed, she became worried and examined the door to get out. Gregory pulled a knife and drove behind a school; he kept driving when he saw a group of kids there. He eventually stopped the car, grabbed R.S.'s hair, and held the knife against her head. At knifepoint, Gregory proceeded to orally, vaginally, and anally rape R.S. Further details of Gregory's violent rape of R.S. are set forth in the majority opinion. ś 271 Afterward, Gregory pushed R.S. out of the car. She managed to remember the license plate number of Gregory's vehicle. Detectives determined that Gregory was the owner of the car matching that license plate. ś 272 Following his arrest, Gregory denied he had any contact with R.S. He detailed to detectives a complete alibi for that night. After obtaining a search warrant, police searched Gregory's car. They discovered the buck knife, as well as a condom. The condom had the same lot number as a condom wrapper found by an officer at the crime scene. A forensic scientist with the WSP Lab compared the rape kit seminal fluid with a sample of blood. He testified that 1 in 360 African Americans would have DNA similar to Gregory's. ś 273 A jury subsequently found Gregory guilty of three counts of first degree rape. Gregory appealed to this court.