Jurors will now decide if James Fred Reeves Jr. raped his teenage neighbor four years ago. Reeves is accused of climbing through a 14-year-old girl’s bedroom window and raping her on May 6, 2010. The 39-year-old former Gastonia resident was convicted of second-degree murder in 1995 and spent nine years behind bars. He was on trial this week at the Lincoln County Courthouse, charged with first-degree sex offense, statutory rape, indecent liberties with a minor, crimes against nature and burglary.
Jurors listened to evidence and testimony for nearly three days. The six men and six women were handed the case Thursday afternoon at the close of state’s evidence. The defense did not present evidence.
The accusations: Reeves’ accuser, now 18, said Reeves stalked her and sexually assaulted her twice. According to the girl, Reeves raped her the first time in April 2010. The girl said she was at Reeves’ home playing board games with a relative of his when the first assault occurred. Reeves’ accuser said he then stalked her, often parking his car at the top of her road and sitting there for hours.
The girl testified that in May 2010, Reeves came in through her bedroom window and performed sex acts on her. The girl’s mother walked into her daughter’s room that night around 10 p.m. and saw a naked man climbing out the window. Reeves was picked up by police a short time later, naked and driving down the girl’s road. The charges Reeves faces are related solely to the night he’s accused of assaulting her in her home.
The defense: While defense attorney T.J. Wilson presented no evidence, he did ask several questions of the state’s witnesses. He questioned the accuracy of DNA testing and the girl’s history under the care of a counselor. During closing arguments, Wilson said that evidence was shaky.
During testimony, the girl’s former counselor testified that the girl came to see her more than a year before the alleged rape and for months after. The counselor said that the girl’s mother had reported issues with her. According to the testimony, the girl reportedly refused to do as she was told around the house, stole food from her home and started a rumor at school that she was pregnant. Wilson told jurors those behaviors showed a lack of truthfulness.
The letter: Reeves has been in jail since his arrest, held on a $250,000 bond. Months after his arrest, Reeves’ sister wanted to get his truck from the Sheriff’s Office so that she could sell it to pay for an attorney. Reeves’ relatives had to get a letter from him giving consent to hand over the vehicle. Reeves’ sister read a portion of that letter in court Thursday.
In it, Reeves apologized to his family. “I’ve learned my lesson at (your) expense,” he wrote. Reeves wrote that the girl pursued him and that he made a mistake by giving in to her. “I should’ve put a stop to it,” he wrote. “My stupidity has hurt everyone.”
Unable to consent: Lincoln County Assistant District Attorney Lydia Hoza said she stands by the teen’s testimony. But she also said even if jurors believe the girl opened her window and let Reeves in, a 14-year-old cannot consent — not to letting someone in her house to commit a felony and not to sex. If Reeves had sex with a child who was at least six years younger than him, he committed a sex crime, Hoza said.
Past violence: Reeves was convicted of second-degree murder nearly 20 years ago. Then a Gastonia resident, Reeves pleaded guilty to the charge for shooting a Belmont man todeath in the parking lot of the Waffle House on Remount Road.
Reeves fired at least two shots into the back of Randy B. Sigmon after an argument. Sigmon was seated in a car when he was killed. The fatal feud happened about 3 a.m. on Oct. 29, 1994. Reeves, then 20, served nine years in prison. His most recent conviction was for misdemeanor indecent exposure in Gaston County in 2006, according to the North Carolina Department of Correction.
Awaiting a verdict: Jurors began deliberating at about 4 p.m. Thursday. The judge sent them home just before 5 p.m. They will reconvene Friday morning.
You can reach Diane Turbyfill at 704-869-1817 and twitter.com/GazetteDiane.