Opinion ID: 2543513
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Jury Deliberation and Conviction

Text: ¶ 21 At the conclusion of Martin's testimony, the State and the defense presented their respective closing statements to the jury. Arguing its case, the State contended that because Martin admitted performing the actions for which he was charged, the jury's only obligation was to assess whether Egan had consented to those acts. The State explained, This case is not a `whodunit.' This case is not `it didn't happen.' This case is simply and narrowly an issue of consent. ¶ 22 Accordingly, the State asserted that the assessment of whether Egan had consented to engage in sexual acts with Martin hinged entirely upon whose story the jury believed. The prosecutor stated: [I]f you don't believe one party on how they met, you can't believe that same person about what happened thereafter.... .... So, in other words, the whole ball of wax really rests up front on how [Egan and Martin] met and who you believe on how they met. Because if you believe her, she is telling the truth about being kidnapped at gunpoint, she was raped. Vice versa, if you accept his stories on how they met and his version, his story of how things went after that, then it was consensual. Summarizing for the jury, the State continued: What I am simply saying is if you [consider] their two versions of how they met ..., you then have to accept the person you believe ..., because it can't go the other way. It just doesn't make sense. Pursuing this logic, the State urged the jury to find Martin guilty as charged because Egan's story was reasonable and comported with common sense, while Martin's version of the events was unreasonable, difficult to swallow, and leaking like crazy. In support of this contention, the State reminded the jury that Egan had traveled to the store to pick up a last-minute item for her family's dinner, and that, in fact, Egan's sister had testified it was surprising Egan did not return home immediately because she was responsible and dependable and isn't like that. ¶ 23 Following its deliberations, the jury unanimously convicted Martin of rape, aggravated kidnaping, and three counts of forcible sodomy, all first degree felonies. Thereafter, on February 13, 1998, the trial court sentenced Martin to indeterminate terms of five years to life for rape, six years to life for aggravated kidnaping, and five years to life on each count of forcible sodomy, all sentences running concurrently.