A former Vancouver man who was on trial in a 2014 kidnapping and rape case was found guilty Thursday by a Clark County jury of one count of second-degree rape.
The jury acquitted David Devon Jackson, however, of three counts of first-degree rape, one count of second-degree rape and one count of first-degree kidnapping with sexual motivation. The jurors were unable to agree on another count of second-degree rape.
Jackson, 27, of Portland was accused of kidnapping an 18-year-old Tacoma woman on Aug. 20, 2014, driving her down Interstate 5 to Vancouver and raping her three times along the way, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Superior Court.
The two had apparently never met in person before the incident but had connected on a social media website, the affidavit said.
Jurors heard three days of testimony and deliberated for about a day before reaching their verdict.
The victim, who testified she was working as a prostitute at the time, said she believed Jackson sought her out. But the prosecution said their meeting appeared to be coincidental.
On the evening of the incident, Jackson was driving near a store in Tacoma, saw the woman walking and stopped. He told her he recognized her from a website. She did not immediately recognize him, but still accepted a ride, according to court records.
Jackson then allegedly began to travel south on I-5 to Vancouver without allowing the woman to leave his car. The victim told police she was frightened because Jackson had firearms and made degrading comments. She said he used this intimidation to force her to take pills, the affidavit said.
He pulled off the interstate in Clark County, she said, and raped her before continuing south and dumping her in downtown Vancouver, court documents said.
The victim ran to a gas station and called 911. She was taken to a hospital.
She was later able to identify Jackson using his profile on the social media site, court records show, and some of his DNA was found on her clothes. A lab test found the DNA was a match to DNA in a 2006 rape case that listed Jackson as the primary suspect, the affidavit said.
During the trial, Jackson’s defense attorney, Steve Rucker, argued that the victim fabricated the story.
He said his client had agreed to give the woman a ride to Portland and on the way, they had consensual sex. Afterward, she told Jackson she was a prostitute and demanded money, he said.
Rucker said Jackson refused to pay her and instead dropped her off in Vancouver.
“It was a very difficult case, very sad. You want to have compassion for people working in difficult circumstances, such as prostitution,” Rucker said after the jury’s verdict, adding, however, that the victim’s story was inconsistent.
“I thought the jury gave considerable thought in their decision, while we may not agree on the outcome,” he said.
Deputy Prosecutor James Smith agreed that the case was challenging but said he was pleased with the outcome.
“Sexual assault cases are always very difficult, not just for the victim but for the jury to hear (the graphic details),” Smith said.
Jackson was taken into custody following the trial and will be held without bail.
Smith said Jackson faces a minimum sentence of 6.5 years in prison. He is scheduled to be back in court Jan. 13.
