More than four years after enduring a brutal rape attack, the victim heard the one word she has been waiting for: Guilty.
After a little more than three hours of deliberations Friday afternoon, a 12-person jury found Shawn Lester Hattery guilty of all 16 felony charges.
The victim quietly sobbed as she sat in the courtroom awaiting the verdict. After Judge Duane Huffer read the guilty verdict on the first few counts, the victim quietly sobbed, "Yes."
When the jury was dismissed and began to leave the courtroom, the victim managed to say, "Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you," while still quietly sobbing.All told, Hattery was found of one count of burglary, one count of battery, three counts of criminal confinement, one count of attempted deviate sexual conduct, three counts of rape, three counts of sexual battery, two counts of deviate sexual conduct, one count of obstruction of justice and one count of theft. All 16 charges are felonies.
In his closing argument, Kosciusko County Prosecutor Dan Hampton said the most compelling evidence of the trial was the victim's "heroic testimony Wednesday morning while the monster of her nightmare sat in the same room."
Later Hampton said the "horrible crime" was a "savage violation of (the victim's) body."
Hampton went through each felony count against Hattery, explaining to the jury why he was charged with each one. He also explained the intricacies of the definitions of each charge to the jury.
He then turned to the DNA evidence, which he called "uncontroverted."
Hampton pointed out that different parts of the DNA evidence were confirmed by five different analysts, adding that the procedures for handling the evidence and gathering DNA samples are checked closely.
He also highlighted the fact that a second sample of Hattery's DNA was taken in a controlled sample, tested and confirmed to match the sample taken from a vaginal wash in the rape kit performed on the victim.
"This is your opportunity to end her nightmare," Hampton told the jury. "Convict (Shawn Lester Hattery) on all counts ... for all the despicable things he did."
Once Hampton finished his closing argument, Defense Attorney Scott Lennox addressed the jury.
"I truly feel sorry for (the victim)," Lennox said. "Something terrible happened to her."
Then Lennox said he didn't feel good about this case, adding that the jury should not be swayed by sympathy.
Lennox compared the case to a puzzle that had imperfect pieces that did not fit together properly, saying that the evidence was flawed, the pieces of the case were imperfect, and that there was less-than-stellar police work on the case.
When Hampton addressed the jury for his final argument, he said, "Perhaps the most poignant witness, was the one (the victim) didn't know was watching." Then Hampton replayed the portion of the interview video when the victim saw her mother for the first time after the attack, a display of raw emotion that moved several jurors to tears the first time they saw it.
Then Hampton urged the jury to find Hattery guilty.
In the end, the jury did find Hattery guilty. His bond was revoked and he was taken away from the courtroom in handcuffs.
Hattery will be sentenced at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 4 in Kosciusko Superior Court I with Judge Duane Huffer presiding. Hattery faces up to 372 years in prison for all the charges.
