State v. Jones

Citations

• 2026 Ohio 68

Syllabus

Kidnapping counts associated with two of the victims suffered from duplicity in the charge because the State did not prove appellant committed a particularized act of kidnapping sufficient to verify jury unanimity. The State presented sufficient evidence to support multiple convictions for gross sexual imposition involving the victims. However, some counts are unsupported by the evidence and must be vacated. In addition, there was no plain error regarding the admission of victim-impact testimony. The testimony regarding the impact of the abuse was relevant to assess the victims' credibility and to rebut the defense theory. Moreover, the testimony was brief and not overly emotional or inflammatory.