Hung jury unable to reach verdict in rape case

A mistrial was declared Thursday night, ending a three-day trial for a Macon man accused of molesting and raping a girl, beginning when she was 4 years old.

Jurors deliberated for about two and a half hours, but we're unable to reach a verdict, said Dorothy Hull, a Bibb County prosecutor.

Robert Wayne Davis adamantly denied having a sexual encounter with the girl while testifying Thursday.

“I have never had any sexual contact” with the girl, said the 53-year-old Davis. “Never.”

A trial began Tuesday in Bibb County Superior Court for Davis, who is charged with two counts each of rape and child molestation.

Davis’ testimony lasted at least two hours Thursday, as he described himself as a family man who made strides to better himself after undergoing alcohol rehabilitation in 2002. He said he leads some area Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

He’s had a job installing conveyor belts in facilities in Atlanta and outside Georgia for about five years.

Prosecutor Dorothy Hull confronted Davis in her cross-examination of him, asking if he had a history of lying to police.

She presented copies of his 1988 conviction for giving a police officer a false birth date, 2002 conviction for giving a false name to an officer and 1993 forgery conviction.

“I’m up here telling the truth about what happened,” Davis said.

The alleged victim — now a young woman — testified Tuesday that Davis began raping and molesting her when she was 4 years old in 2004 and continued until 2012 when she was in middle school.

She said she didn’t understand what sex was until she was much older and after realizing what had happened, she was afraid to tell her family.

In 2015, as a 16-year-old, she told her mother what had happened and a complaint was filed with police.

Davis was arrested Jan. 27, 2016.

His lawyer, Jay Davis, told jurors in his opening statement that there’s no physical evidence or other proof the alleged acts occurred.

Forensic experts and several of the girl’s family members testified during the trial. Several character witnesses testified for the defense.

This story was originally published May 25, 2017 at 8:48 PM with the headline "Hung jury unable to reach verdict in rape case."