A Dane County jury found 18-year-old Dominic Cizauskas, former University of Wisconsin-Madison football recruit and Mukwonago High School linebacker, guilty Wednesday of raping a UW-Madison student in December, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
Cizauskas was charged March 17 for the the attack. He was expected to join UW-Madison’s 2014 freshman class in the fall and was visiting the university, escorted by sophomore linebacker Leon Jacobs, when the incident occured.
Jacobs testified his job as Cizauskas’ student host was to show him a good time, according to Channel 3000. They both consumed multiple rum shots and attended a party hosted by track team members. Following the party, Cizauskas went to Sellery Residence Hall, where the assault took place.
Cizauskas waived his right to a preliminary hearing March 31 and pled not guilty.
The jury reached the verdict after about five hours of deliberation and found the defendant guilty after testimony from the woman and Cizauskas, according to the WSJ article. A main point of contention that played out in both tesitmonies was whether the sex was consensual.
Both testified they had had consensual sex in the past, most recently in July of that year, but the woman said she became disinterested in sexual relations with Cizauskas after going to UW-Madison her freshman year.
Assistant District Attorney Rachel Sattler said in her closing argument that no matter the backstory, the woman did not want to have sex with him that night, and it was her right to say no, according to the WSJ article.
Tim Verhoff, Cizauskas’ lawyer, argued in closing that the woman had consensual sex with Cizauskas and later felt regret. Police recovered a few key text messages indicating she wanted him to come to her room, which the woman had erased.
“This was a consensual act,” Verhoff said, according to the article. “It’s something she might have felt bad about afterward.”
However, Sattler said the extensive processes the woman has voluntarily gone through following the assault indicate it was more than regret.
“[The woman] didn’t have to tell anyone what happened,” Sattler said, according to the article. “She told because she was sexually assaulted. It’s as simple as that.”
Other issues included how long it took Cizauskas to actually stop after the woman told him to and what she actually said to indicate she wanted to have sex with him. He could not immediately recall what words she had used to give consent, when he was asked to do so during questioning from Assistant District Attorney Matthew Moeser, according to the WSJ article.
According to the WSJ article, Cizauskas and his family appeared stunned by the verdict and quietly left the courtroom after hearing it read. He now faces up to fives years in prison and five years of extended supervision.
A sentencing hearing has not been set but will likely occur in about two months.
