After more than three days of trial, a jury deliberated into the night Friday and found a Greeley man guilty of raping a 9-year-old girl.
Joseph Covington, 34, was convicted of sexual assault on a child, kidnapping and enticement of a child, according to a news release from Tyler Hill, spokesman for the Weld County District Attorney's Office. He faces between eight years and life in prison because sexual assault on a child and enticement of a child carry indeterminate sentences.
The case had its origins in July 2016, when the girl went to the Covington apartment looking to play with her friend who lived there. She didn't find her friend, but Covington told her he was inside, and he followed her in. He then sexually assaulted her for more than an hour and a half in various rooms, according to the affidavit for his arrest. At one point, according to police, he also hit her in the head.
According to the news release, Covington claimed at trial the victim's mother concocted the story to get back at him and his wife for not babysitting. However, DNA evidence tied to Covington was found on the girl's body and clothes.
http://www.greeleytribune.com/news/crime/jury-convicts-greeley-man-of-raping-9-year-old-girl/