Jury to continue deliberations in rape case
A Fayette County jury will continue its deliberations in a rape case lodged against Robert Eugene Sapp this morning. Sapp, 24, of Point Marion is charged with assaulting a 2-year-old girl who was briefly in his care last July 30. He is charged with rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault, endangering the welfare of children and aggravated assault.
A forensic scientist testified Tuesday that there was a 44 billion to one chance that skin cells from the toddler found in Sapp’s underwear that were mixed with seminal fluid belonged to another person.
It was a point that prosecutor Joseph M. George Jr. hammered home and Sapp’s attorney, Susan Ritz Harper, discounted in closing remarks.
“Forty-four billion times? There’s not that many people on the planet,” said Ritz Harper. “Those numbers are so inflated.”
Sapp took the stand on his own behalf as well, and denied to jurors that he had any contact with the girl at all. He also testified that he agreed to do a rape kit and allowed police to search his home.
At his home, police found two diapers and a towel, all of which had blood on them.
Ritz Harper questioned why Sapp would volunteer for those things if he did do anything illegal.
State police allege Sapp was babysitting the girl and other children and abused her around 3 a.m. while the other children slept. When Sapp’s wife and another woman arrived at the home around 3:45 a.m., the 2-year-old would not stop crying and the Sapps took the toddler to the hospital.
A doctor there found that the girl suffered internal tears and said the injuries were consistent with sexual assault.
The child underwent surgery at Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh.
Police said they interviewed Sapp three times, but he never explained how the girl was injured.
Jurors will return to deliberate this morning.