Appeals court upholds sex abuse conviction
8/25/2007The 6th District Court of Appeals of Ohio yesterday upheld the conviction of a Toledo man in a sex abuse case involving a child.
James Murray, formerly of Maumee Avenue, was sentenced in November, 2005, by a Lucas County Common Pleas Court judge to two years in prison for the sexual assault on a 9-year-old girl the previous November.
A jury said Murray was guilty of two counts of gross sexual imposition, but it was unable to reach a verdict on the more serious charge of rape.
He was acquitted on an additional count of gross sexual imposition.
Murray, who was classified as a sexually oriented offender, claimed in his case to the appellate court that his convictions were not supported by sufficient evidence, his right to due process was violated, and the victim testified inconsistently and contradicted statements she gave to police.