ALLEN COUNTY, OH (WLIO) - A Lima man was found guilty of half the charges he was facing for having sexual contact with a 14-year-old girl back in 2021.
37-year-old David Cowan was found guilty of two counts of rape, unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, and gross sexual imposition. But the jury acquitted him on three other charges, one of those, another rape charge. During closing arguments, the defense attorney questioned the investigation into a rape incident that happened in December of 2021, where Cowan was caught in the victim's room by a guardian. He said it comes down to who you believe.
"You are not here to base your decision on belief and characters involved because that is dangerous," says Ken Rexford, Defense Attorney. "If the state is wrong, what do we have? We have a girl willing to make false allegations against someone for some reason."
But the prosecution says with the evidence, the verdict is clear.
"You have the science from the experts with his DNA all over her face, in the vagina, in the rectum," says Joe Everhart, Allen County Assistant Prosecutor. "There is your science."
Cowan will be sentenced on April 13th.
