Court Upholds Man's 2014 Sex Assault Conviction

Jason Atherton had appealed his conviction after an Orleans Superior Court judge denied him a new trial and sentenced him to 35 years to life in prison

Vermont's highest court has upheld a conviction against a Newport City man who was found guilty in 2014 of raping a woman while she slept.

The Caledonian Record reports 37-year-old Jason Atherton had appealed his conviction after an Orleans Superior Court judge denied him a new trial and sentenced him to 35 years to life in prison.

Prosecutors said Atherton sexually assaulted the woman in the fall of 2012 after a night of drinking and smoking pot with her and two of her female friends.

Among Atherton's appeal claims was that the seating of two biased jurors deprived him of a fair trial. The jurors had noted on questionnaires that they knew victims of a sexual offense.

The court says they weren't persuaded that the jurors were biased.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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