Jourdyn Rawlins, 19, is charged with two counts of rape, a felony of the first degree.
Jessica Orozco | The Lima News
LIMA — Witness testimony began Tuesday afternoon at the trial of a Lima man accused of raping two different women eight months apart.
Jourdyn Rawlins, 19, is charged with rape in September 2020 and May 2021. Rawlins was 17 at the time of the incidents.
The woman who accused Rawlins of rape in September 2020, who was 17 at the time, said on Tuesday she met the defendant through Facebook.
The woman, now 19, said they messaged on Facebook Messenger and she asked Rawlins for his Snapchat — where they continued the conversation. Some of the messages were not saved; Snapchat requires the user to manually save messages. Rawlins shared his address with the alleged victim and she said she went to his house to hang out at around 11 or 11:30 p.m.
The woman said the two sat on an outdoor couch on Rawlins’ porch, where they talked about school and sports. Rawlins, who is from the Virgin Islands, shared that he was upset he couldn’t see his parents due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The woman said Rawlins then pulled down his pants and she was confused but they kissed — which she said was to let him know she would only go that far and not engage with him sexually. She said she told him she “didn’t want to do anything like that” and he tried to talk her into having sex with him, “pinky promising” that he would stop when she told him to and that “it would be quick.”
The woman said he pulled her onto his lap and moved her track shorts off to the side and inserted his penis into her vagina. She said she was uncomfortable and “kind of started shutting down.” She said she pushed his arms and stood up, telling him to “pull his effing pants up.”
The alleged victim said they argued about what happened and Rawlins implied that it was obvious the two were going to have sex and she told him she had only intended to hang out. The woman began walking to her car and Rawlins walked in front of her to the vehicle, saying it was nice of him to do so.
The woman said she drove away, “bawling” and went back to her best friend’s house in Delphos, where she was staying the night.
She said she washed her vagina with a washcloth because she felt dirty and tried to call her aunt, who she couldn’t reach until the next morning because it was late. She went to her aunt’s house and her aunt called the police so the alleged woman could give a statement.
The woman said she then went to the hospital for a sexual assault exam.
The alleged victim’s testimony appeared difficult for her, with the court going into recess twice to allow her to collect herself.
Witness testimony will continue Wednesday at 9 a.m. The Lima News does not identify victims or alleged victims of sexual assault.
