Ind. court upholds ex- student's rape conviction - 14 News, WFIE, Evansville, Henderson, Owensboro

Ind. court upholds ex- student's rape conviction

Posted: Updated:
Jason Michael Palilonis Jason Michael Palilonis
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -

The Indiana Court of Appeals has upheld a former Vincennes University student's conviction for raping another student who later committed suicide.

The court ruled a judge had not erred by allowing jurors to be told the victim wasn't available to testify against Jason Michael Palilonis because she was dead. The panel says that was the fairest way to explain her absence.

The court also rejected Palilonis' claim the trial court improperly admitted statements the victim made to a nurse after the 2005 assault. 

It also found the trial judge acted properly by holding evidentiary hearings before denying Palilonis' motion to set aside the guilty verdict because one of the jurors allegedly told others the judge believed he was guilty.

Palilonis was sentenced to seven years in prison.

The rape happened on Harrison Street in Vincennes in September of 2005. The victim was 21 years old.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)