Champaign Sex Crimes Defense Blog

January 1st, 2023

What to Do if You Have Been Accused of Sexual Assault

Facing criminal charges of any kind can feel frustrating and overwhelming. When the alleged crime is sexual assault, the potential consequences are terrifying. Few accusations have the same capacity to turn a person into a social outcast overnight, and the penalties are severe for those who are convicted. Yet accusations do not automatically equate to...

Sex Crimes Defense

October 7th, 2016

Derrick Rose’s lawyers say accused rape was consensual

The legal counsel for 28-year-old New York Knicks player Derrick Rose insisted on Wednesday, October 5 that the woman bringing rape charges against Rose willingly had sex with him at Rose’s mansion in Beverly Hills. The plaintiff is also accusing two of Rose’s friends with the rape of an impaired woman. Rose’s lawyers said the text messages the woman sent...

Sex Crimes Defense

October 4th, 2016

Sexual abuse lawsuit against scout leader allowed to proceed in court

Illinois Appellate Court decided on Friday, September 30 that a civil lawsuit lodged by former members of the Oak Lawn Boy Scout troop in Cook County can proceed to trial. Their trial concerns the members’ claims that they were sexually molested by their scout leader, Thomas Hacker, in the 1980’s. The lawsuit was filed in 2013 by 16 former...

Sex Crimes Defense

September 12th, 2016

Urbana man sentenced to prison time for performing sexual act on unconscious woman

Twenty-one-year-old Urbana, Illinois resident Markel Brown was sentenced to three years of imprisonment on Thursday, September 8 for performing sexual acts on a woman who was passed out in a house in the 1100 block of Austin Drive in Urbana on Feb. 3, 2016. Judge Tom Difanis disgusted with the act, said it was “outrageous” and...

Sex Crimes Defense

August 30th, 2016

Convicted molester search continues

Thirty-five-year-old Urbana resident Kinzie Lee Schwab, who was convicted last Thursday, August 25 of criminal sexual assault and child pornography by a Champaign County jury, is currently at large. Schwab was not present for any of his trial dates, which started last Tuesday, August 23. He made a court appearance last Monday, August 22 in Judge Tom Difanis’...

Sex Crimes Defense

August 16th, 2016

Ex-ISU student acquitted of rape charges

24-year-old former Illinois State University student William Wells was acquitted of sexual assault charges on Friday, August 12 in McLean County Circuit Court in Illinois. After a deliberation of about four hours, the jury returned with a not guilty verdict in the case of Wells, who was accused of raping a woman in February at his...

Sex Crimes Defense

March 30th, 2016

Man sentenced to 14 years in jail for sexual assault

Wednesday, March 16, Judge Heidi Ladd sentenced 42-year-old Mark Doeden, of Urbana, Illinois, to 14 years of imprisonment and required him to register for the rest of his life as a sex offender. The sentencing reflected the Illinois recommendation to the judge when Doeden pled guilty in December 2015 to charges of criminal sexual assault. Doeden has...

Sex Crimes Defense

January 14th, 2016

Illinois teacher charged with sexual abuse asks for bail reduction

Twenty-nine-year-old Mokena, Illinois resident and former Herscher High School Social Studies teacher and coach David Murphy appeared in Kendall County Court on Thursday, January 7 to ask for reduction of his $250,000 bond. Murphy has been charged with nine felony counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and aggravated battery for allegedly assaulting six students –...

Sex Crimes Defense

December 7th, 2014

Bill Cosby appearances canceled over sexual assault allegations

Public appearances and entertainment performances by 77-year-old comedian William Henry “Bill” Cosby, Jr., slated for occurrence in Nevada, Arizona, Washington, Illinois, and South Carolina, have all been canceled as more women accused the entertainer of sexually assaulting them decades ago, The Pueblo Chieftain reported on November 21. The Diamond Desert casino in Tucson, Arizona canceled his...

Sex Crimes Defense

August 10th, 2014

Case of sexual assault in an adult bookstore to be tried soon

Thirty-six-year-old Champaign resident Paul Zindar has been sued by a female employee of an adult book store, her employer, and the company’s insurance provider due to allegations that Zindar sexually assaulted the woman in question, the Paxton Record reported on August 1. According to the civil complaint against Zindars, LM Insurance Corp. paid $138,867 in...

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