The trial of a September 2011 incident was scheduled to conclude today. The alleged victim, an Elon student, claims Jonathan Olson, 20, an ex-Marine and close high school friend, sexually assaulted her in her room, following a night of heavy drinking by both parties.
The alleged victim testified she had blacked out on the night during Labor Day weekend 2011, during which she and a group of friends, along with Olson and two other Marines, attended a fraternity party before returning to the dormitory, where the group continued to drink. The woman claimed she was incapacitated and possibly unconscious when the incident occurred, leading the prosecution to seek a second-degree rape charge.
Olson also admitted he was intoxicated at the time. Throughout the course of the night, he drank whiskey and rum straight from the bottle. However, he claims the woman was conscious and the sex was consensual.
The prosecution, Alamance County District Attorney Pat Nadolski, disagreed. In his opening statement, Nadolski claimed Olson took advantage of the unconscious woman and engaged in intercourse without her consent.
The defense, Olson and his attorney, Julian Doby, claim Olson offered to sleep on the floor, at which point the woman urged him to join her in bed. This followed several bouts of vomiting, which was described as “straight liquor” in appearance by Meredith Grace, a friend of the alleged victim who allowed the group to drink in her room
Olson testified he helped the victim clean herself up, but she claims she awoke the next morning naked and covered in her own vomit alongside the defendant.
Prior to the incident, the woman had planned for Olson to sleep in her bed, telling a friend that it was “no big deal,” as reported by the Burlington Times-News. In their hometown of Lincolnshire, Ill., the two were close friends their senior year of high school, though Olson said he wanted more. He had expressed an interest in dating, but she wanted to remain only friends, the Times News said. Olson and the victim kept in touch via the Internet and text messaging prior to his visit.
The trial is expected to conclude today, when the jury of seven men and five women should reach a verdict.