9/14/10 – JURY CONVICTS OHIO MAN OF RAPE—FACEBOOK MESSAGES SUPPORT PROSECUTION'S CASE

An Examiner with the Miami Valley RCFL (MVRCFL) testified during the trial of Courtney Haynes, 27, who was convicted of rape and aggravated burglary of his former neighbor. The victim, a 23-year old single mom, complained about Haynes' loud music, and was moved to another unit in their apartment complex. In retaliation, The 6'0, 300-pound Haynes broke into the victim's apartment and sexually assaulted her. The victim identified Haynes as her attacker, and his computer was subsequently sent to the MVRCFL for processing. MVRCFL Examiner, Skip Burnham, who is assigned to the lab from the Miami Valley Crime Laboratory, located evidence showing that Haynes actively searched for information about the victim on Google & Facebook over an extended period of time. Haynes also sent several unwanted messages to the victim via Facebook.

Although no DNA or fingerprints were found—digital evidence uncovered by the MVRCFL staff played a pivotal role in the case. The jury returned a guilty verdict in less than two hours. Haynes was sentenced to nine years in prison for the rape charge and five years for aggravated burglary to run concurrent. He was also classified a Tier III sexual offender, which will require him to register his residence every 90 days for life when released from prison.

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