The case of a former Uber driver who was arrested after he was accused of raping a passenger back in 2017 ended with a not-guilty verdict on a charge of armed sexual battery. The jury “hung” on the four other charges he was facing — two additional counts of armed sexual battery and one charge each of false imprisonment and burglary with assault.
A hung jury means the jurors can’t arrive at an agreement on whether a defendant is guilty or not after deliberation and believe there’s no chance that further deliberation will result in a consensus. The prosecutors then need to determine whether or not to retry a defendant on the charges for which no verdict was reached.
The defendant was accused of raping a female passenger whom he was taking home, along with two other women, from the SunFest Music Festival in West Palm Beach seven years ago. The attacks allegedly occurred in his car and also in the woman’s home. The other two passengers had been dropped off at their destinations before the alleged attacks occurred.
Original convictions were overturned by an appeals court
In his original trial, held in 2018, jurors convicted the defendant of most of the offenses. He was originally sentenced to life in prison, but the judge in the case reduced the sentence to 22 years.
In 2020, however, the man’s attorneys argued in an appeals court that the jury never heard his full statement to police after his arrest – including the part where he said the two had consensual sex. The court agreed that was grounds for overturning the conviction. That did not, however, prevent prosecutors from retrying the case, which they did this spring – resulting in very different results
Why it’s critical to explore all defense options
Sexual offenses – particularly those that are alleged to involve weapons or physical force – can carry some very serious consequences. That’s why it’s critical to have a vigorous defense that can include appeals and other steps to ensure that your rights are protected at every step.
A case like this, which our law firm was part of, demonstrates the importance of exercising all of your legal options to protect your freedom and defend your name and reputation.