BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (AP) - A central Illinois man with a history of sleepwalking has been acquitted of sexually assaulting a sleeping woman.
McClean County jurors deliberated for less than two hours before acquitting 24-year-old Mathew Nelson of Bloomington.
A 21-year-old woman testified she and Nelson drank with friends before Nelson fell asleep on her couch. She says Nelson later entered her bedroom and assaulted her.
Defense attorneys argued that even if Nelson committed the assault, he wasn't responsible because of his sleepwalking condition.
Nelson testified that he remembered falling asleep and waking up to find a man punching him. The man was called by the alleged victim.
Assistant State's Attorney Jennifer Patton said it was "a tough case" and that there's no case law in Illinois on sleepwalking.
No comments:
Post a Comment