State v. Hughes-Davis

Citations

• 2025 Ohio 3151

Syllabus

Children; rape; gross sexual imposition; letter; hearsay; bench trial; harmless error; manifest weight of the evidence; credibility; delayed disclosure. Child-victim's letter written to mother was improperly admitted into evidence, but because the letter contained similar information that the child-victim testified about, it was harmless error. Convictions for rape and gross sexual imposition upheld because the trial judge, as the trier of fact, considered the testimony of the victims and the evidence presented. The fact this was a delayed disclosure with no physical evidence does not render the conviction against the manifest weight of the evidence.