Victim: Cousin was one of those who raped me | Local news

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Assistant Attorney General Philip Hatch told a Cumberland County jury that the only constant in the rape case of a Crab Orchard-area man was the victim’s testimony about who sexually assaulted her.

The victim – 14 years old at the time of the rape – identified her cousin, who was 24 years old.

The jury of eight men and four women deliberated for less than an hour and found 30-year-old Quentin Eugene McDaniel guilty. As he was led out of the courtroom on Thursday, McDaniel protested his innocence, saying, “I would never do anything to hurt my family.”

He then called over his shoulder to a woman identified as his wife: “We will get through this… Pam, I love you.”

Under the direction of the Sheriff’s Office officers, McDaniel was immediately transported to jail for booking and his bail was revoked by Criminal Judge Shawn Fry in accordance with state law.

McDaniel is being held without bail until his sentencing on Sept. 17. McDaniel’s attorney, Randal Boston of Crossville, issued an oral notice of the appeal of the verdict and set a Sept. 17 deadline for that motion.

McDaniel invoked his constitutional right not to testify. Boston reminded the jury that McDaniel did not have to say anything. The burden of proof was on prosecutors to prove the case against his client.

Hatch and Assistant District Attorney Allison Null relied on the consistency of the victim’s statements – now 20 and married – to multiple witnesses, as well as deoxyribonucleic acid (commonly known as DNA).

DNA is the genetic information in the body’s cells that makes people who they are, according to one website’s definition. It is an important piece of evidence when prosecutors seek convictions, providing evidence that is difficult for defense attorneys to refute.

In addition to the victim, the state called four other witnesses and presented 18 pieces of evidence, including two photographs taken inside the residence, property receipts to demonstrate the unadulterated chain of custody, clothing, and a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation lab report.

The victim waited more than six years for the rape case to progress through the justice system and for the forensic examination results to be available. Her nightmare unfolded on the night of January 29 and the early hours of January 30, 2018.

She recounted the events of that night during questioning by Null. At the time, the victim testified, she and her four-year-old brother were living with their grandmother in a house on Cox Valley Road. As usual, the little brother slept with the grandmother in her bedroom and the victim slept on a couch in a separate room.

That night, the victim testified that McDaniel was sleeping in a third room.

The victim was awakened before midnight to find someone on top of her, a blanket over her head, and her grandmother’s voice. A second voice she recognized as that of McDaniel, who she quoted as saying, “I didn’t do anything.”

The victim said she noticed that her clothes were in disarray and her underwear and outerwear were pulled down to her knees.

The grandmother told her to go to her bedroom and get into bed with her brother, which the victim did.

As usual, the grandmother woke up around 4 a.m. and started her day by going to the bathroom to freshen up and then to the kitchen to prepare breakfast, the victim continued. On this second trip, she was again awakened by the pain of a person who was in the process of abusing her.

The grandmother was again alerted and told the young teen to get ready for school, and at that point, according to the victim, McDaniel left the house.

During the school day, the victim told a nurse about the rape, who then contacted Child Protective Services. Sheriff’s investigators were notified and the victim was taken to Cumberland Medical Center for evaluation.

Boston questioned the victim about discrepancies between her statements at the time and later statements. The victim responded that she had been in therapy and counseling for two years, which had helped her block out some of the details of the crime. The therapists, she said, had helped her “put this incident behind her.”

The next witness was Ivy Scott, a charge nurse trained as a sex crimes nurse. She collected swabs and clothing for a so-called “rape kit” on January 30, 2018, and delivered the kit, along with a narrative form, to a deputy sheriff in a sealed container.

In addition to the medical examination, swabs were taken from the neck, chest and vaginal area.

Under cross-examination in Boston, Scott said the questioning was based on “what the victim told us” and that was the only thing she knew about the allegation.

Former CCSO Sergeant Sean Millikin, who now works for the private firm Blue Light Securities, testified that he picked up the rape kit and placed it in a secured, locked box at the sheriff’s office.

Retired sheriff’s investigator Chad Norris, now chief of security at Cookeville Regional Medical Center, testified that he also served as an evidence manager for the CCSO at the time.

Norris was called to investigate on a DCS warrant and visited the crime scene on Cox Valley Road to collect statements and evidence. He also obtained a cheek swab from McDaniel to send to the TBI lab outside Nashville along with evidence from the CMC investigation.

This set the stage for TBI Special Agent Alyssa Manfredi, a forensic scientist who conducted the DNA examination. She testified that she found DNA evidence on underwear submitted to the lab that confirmed the presence of men and women matching the victim and McDaniel. Additionally, cells indicating the presence of sperm were found on the inside and outside of the clothing.

At that point, DNA searches for other items were suspended. Manfredi explained that the backlog in rape kit analysis led to a TBI policy of ending lengthy forensic investigations once the presence of DNA can be linked to an identified suspect.

At the end of the first day of the trial, the state concluded its evidence in the case, and on Thursday morning Boston called the grandmother to testify.

“I don’t think he did that,” the 84-year-old grandmother testified when questioned about the rape allegation. She further explained that during the first incident, she went into the room where the victim and McDaniel were sleeping and found them on opposite ends of the couch.

Regarding the second incident, the grandmother said she could hardly believe it, as the little brother was a very light sleeper and had been woken up.

When the accusation was made, the grandmother asked McDaniel, “Did you rape (the victim)?” She quoted McDaniel’s response, “No, I did not, Grandma.”

Boston asked the grandmother what it was like to be put in the position of “having to choose between one grandchild and the other.” The grandmother replied that she never allowed such behavior in her home, never saw anything happen, and “learned from my mom to always tell the truth, and that’s what I did.”

Boston pointed out in his closing argument that there was no evidence of penetration, a key element of the rape charge, noting that all witnesses testified to what the woman identified as the victim had told them.

He urged the jury to consider their own life experiences in judging the case against McDaniel, whose freedom “is at stake” because of the testimony of a 14-year-old.

“It just doesn’t make sense,” Boston concluded.

Null explained all the elements of the law that must be met to justify a guilty verdict. Null said the rape was without consent, intentional and knowing and the prosecution met all the elements.

“For six and a half years (the victim) was consistent. He raped me,” Null concluded.

In his closing remarks, Hatch made it simple: “If there is no consent, it is rape… There are two stories. Which do you believe?”

The jury had the option of finding McDaniel not guilty, guilty of rape, or guilty of a lesser charge, including attempted rape, sexual assault by an authority figure (due to the age difference), attempted sexual assault, sexual battery, or attempted sexual assault.

A sentencing report will be prepared and reviewed by Judge Fry on September 17. It will also include mitigating and aggravating circumstances as provided by state law. The sentence is 8 to 12 years, although that sentence can be reduced by the Tennessee Department of Corrections if incentives set out in the law are met.