WAFB 9 News Baton Rouge, Louisiana News, Weather, Sports
BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) – The man accused of raping a woman he met on a social media app called Tinder was found not guilty on Monday, Feb. 1, 2016.
On Saturday, July 26, 2014, a woman called police to report that she had been raped by a man named Jake that she met on Tinder. The woman told police after they met on the social media app, they agreed to meet in person at her apartment.
When Jacob Hirsch Witz arrived, the initial police reports say they sat on the couch and talked a while and moved to the bedroom to talk. The woman’s statement to police says Witz became suddenly aggressive and pulled her shorts off. She goes on to say that he slapped her across the face, ripped off her shirt and bra and raped her as she begged him to stop.
The police report says Witz then found the woman’s phone and forced her to unlock it so he could delete all text messages between them. He then forced her to take a bath while he watched. The woman told police Witz said “Pretend this did not happen. Don’t tell anybody. I did not rape you, I got to get out of here.”
Police found Witz and before they could read him his Miranda Rights, he told them he was not answering any questions and wanted an attorney.
Witz was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on one count of forcible rape. Two days after his arrest, his bond was raised from $35,000 to $75,000. He bonded out of jail in August 2014.
He was indicted on the charges of forcible rape in Jan. 2015.
DNA was collected from Witz while he was in the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.
During the trial, Witz’s attorney argued the sexual intercourse between Witz and the woman was consensual. The East Baton Rouge Parish Assistant District attorney argued to the jury that what happened that night was not role play, as Witz explained, but was rape.
District Attorney Hillar Moore said he believed in the case and in the victim. He also says the case was represented fairly and he respects the jury’s decision.
The defense argued that the woman claimed rape because she was in a relationship with another man and didn’t want to get caught cheating. The prosecution said the woman was naive and gullible, but she is still the victim of rape.
According to The Advocate, Witz is happy with the verdict and plans to return to LSU to finish the 21 hours he needs to graduate.
If Witz were to have been found guilty, he would have faced up to 40 years in prison.