McKeesport, PA – Jacquay Hall, 31, has been on trial for crimes stemming from the alleged rape of a teenage girl that was recorded on a 911 call the girl had placed. The outcome of the trial was mixed, at best.
The jury deliberating on the charges found Hall not guilty of kidnapping, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, unlawful restraint and resisting arrest. The jury found Hall guilty of terroristic threats and possessing a firearm while not being authorized to possess one and without a license.
The biggest issue, though, is that the jury was deadlocked on charges of indecent assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, and rape. A mistrial was declared.
“Obviously, my client and I are very pleased. We have the utmost respect for that jury,” defense attorney Kevin Abramovitz said.
“Utmost respect” is lawyer-speak for “We are glad that they bought what we are selling.”
Hall was accused of raping a teenager in an abandoned parking garage after following and dragging her into the building. Before Hall got a hold of her, though, she called 911 on her cellphone and put it in her pocket. The incident was subsequently recorded and admitted into court.
According to Hall’s lawyer, though, the woman who accused Hall of rape owed him money for drugs. Furthermore, according to the defense argument, the sex in the abandoned parking garage was a natural next step in their relationship.
“This was not a stranger rape. This was not a yank-someone-off-the-street, snatch-and-grab situation,” Abramovitz said. “This was a situation where the parties had a prior business relationship, and they made a choice to have consensual sex.”
In an abandoned parking garage with a 911 dispatcher listening? Those crazy kids…
A tape of the woman’s 911 call was played during the trial on Tuesday. On the recording, she was heard saying, “Please, I didn’t do anything. I’m just walking.”
“Keep walking. I swear to God, I’ll bust you,” a man’s voice answered on the tape.
According to police, the male voice was Hall.
“Please, let me go, please. I’ll give you … I’ll give you … I don’t have any money. I’ll give you my bank card,” the woman’s voice said during the call.
Hall’s lawyer maintained the woman was ‘encouraging’ Hall on the tape. Prosecutors countered that the woman was doing what was necessary to escape harm.
“I’ll do anything you want. Please don’t hurt me, please,” the woman said on the tape.
“All right, well, be quiet. Shut the (expletive) up,” the man responded.
“I don’t want to have sex. I don’t want to have sex,” the woman said.
“Well, it’s too late,” the man said.
The call lasted for nearly 24 minutes. According to the police affidavit, when the woman saw flashing lights, she said she had to use the bathroom and ran toward the police.
“Go get him. He’s over there. Please, before he hurts me, please,” she told the arriving officers.
The jury deliberations lasted 9 hours on Tuesday before the split verdict was announced.
News accounts described the teen as “shaken” as she left the courtroom. She did not comment to reporters. The judge has given the prosecution five business days to decide if it wants to try Hall again.
Tags: 911, Crime, Jacquay Hall, Pennsylvania, Rape
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