Hung jury in Rehoboth rape case
A Sussex County jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict in the case of a Dover man charged with attempted rape and kidnapping in Rehoboth Beach.
After two hours of deliberations Feb. 19, a hung jury came back in the case of Joshua Abele, 21, who had been charged with first-degree rape and first-degree kidnapping. Prosecutors said Abele forced himself on a 21-year old woman at a house on Oak Avenue. The woman told police Abele confronted her with a gun, later determined by police to be a BB gun, and prevented her from leaving the house.
Abele, who took the stand in his own defense during the five-day trial, said their encounter was consensual.
Abele’s attorney, Edward Gill said, “We hope this is the end of this case and hope the state doesn’t drag this up again. We hope this is the end.”
Carl Kanefsky, spokesman for the Delaware Department of Justice, said the state has not made a decision on whether to retry the case. FILE PHOTO
Ryan Mavity covers Milton and the court system. He is married to Rachel Swick Mavity and has two kids, Alex and Jane. Ryan started with the Cape Gazette all the way back in February 2007, previously covering the City of Rehoboth Beach. A native of Easton, Md. and graduate of Towson University, Ryan enjoys watching the Baltimore Ravens, Washington Capitals and Baltimore Orioles in his spare time.
