Jury finds Monessen man not guilty of rape, sex assault charges
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A Monessen man was acquitted of sexual assault charges on Wednesday.
After nearly two hours of deliberations by a Westmoreland County jury, Jerry Francis Griest, 63, was found not guilty of three charges in connection with allegations made by an autistic woman who claimed she was raped after she rejected his sexual advances.
The accuser claimed Griest, a maintenance man at her apartment building, befriended her and invited himself to her home in August 2022 to watch television. She claimed that during his visit, he made multiple sexual advances that she rejected before he led her into the bedroom and forced himself on her.
Griest’s accuser and a police detective were the only two witnesses to testify during the two-day trial. Griest did not testify on his own behalf.
Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani, at the conclusion of the prosecution’s case, dismissed felony counts of rape and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, the two most serious charges against Griest.
The judge ruled prosecutors could not prove Griest used or threatened the use of force.
Lesser counts of sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault and indecent assault were ultimately rejected by the jury.
Assistant Public Defender James Spriestersbach argued the sex between Griest and his accuser was consensual. He told jurors the woman claimed rape for religious reasons.
“Her Christian faith led her to say it was rape. I’m sorry to say the only way to make sense of it to her Lord is it had to be rape, an assault,” Spriestersbach told jurors.
Prosecutors said Griest ignored the woman’s refusal to engage in sexual relations. Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Echard argued the accuser twice rebuffed requests for sex but eventually decided not to fight him off out of fear for her safety.
“No means no. She testified she said no, but the defendant made more advances. She stopped saying no when she was afraid he would beat her up. He took advantage of her disability,” Echard said.
Griest, who had been in jail awaiting trial, was expected to be released from custody Wednesday night.