DES MOINES – A man found guilty by a Cerro Gordo county jury of raping a 14-year-old girl has been denied further review of his sexual abuse conviction by the Iowa Supreme Court.
Cornovis Abrams Teasley, age 35 and formerly of Charles City, requested an appeal after his 2012 conviction, saying there wasn’t enough evidence to prove the age difference between himself and his victim at the time of the crime, which occurred in 2011.
According to a court document, evidence revealed that the complaining witness testified she was fourteen years old at the time of her encounter with Teasley. She also testified that, after Teasley sexually abused her, he began to cry and told her he had kids her age. Another witness testified that he was nineteen years old and Teasley was “older.” Finally, Teasley was in the courtroom and subject to observation by the jury, and the jury reasonably could have surmised that he looked to be over four years older than the complaining witness.
The court upheld his conviction of felony C sexual abuse in the third degree and denied the appeal request.
Teasley, who now calls the Newton Correctional Facility home until 2022 (unless he is paroled or released before his ten year sentence is up), must register as a sex offender in Iowa for life.
DENIED NEW TRIAL