JURY VERDICT: Haines City man sexually battered girl, got her pregnant
DNA testing revealed there was a 99.99 percent chance Delwyn Manuel was the father of his victim’s unborn child.
The jury deliberated for about 45 minutes, convicting 53-year-old Manuel on Nov. 1 of sexual battery with familial or custodial authority. He is facing life in prison and will be sentenced Dec. 15.
Assistant State Attorney Will Dennis told jurors that the 15-year-old victim was vomiting and complaining of her stomach hurting. When her mother took her to the hospital, doctors notified her she was six weeks pregnant.
In interviews with law enforcement, the victim said she was abused while being babysat at Manuel’s house after everyone was asleep.
She said the majority of the time Manuel forced himself on her was while she was trying to sleep on the couch. But there was at least one time when she was looking for a DVD and he told her, “We are going to have sex.”
The victim told detectives she was unsure how many times Manuel had sex with her. When FDLE compared fetal tissue from the victim with a DNA sample from Manuel, it was a match.
The defense told jurors that the victim could not remember exactly when the batteries occurred, which meant that she was being untruthful. He said her embarrassment an even bigger indicator that she wasn’t telling the truth.
But Dennis told them that the victim genuinely struggled to talk about it because the defendant was someone she used to trust.
“She was excited to be around him,” Dennis said. “That all changed when he started sexually battering her and got her pregnant.”
He reminded jurors of the DNA test and that there was a 99 percent probability Manuel was the parent.
“That makes it very clear the defendant should be found guilty as charged,” he said. “This is a clear case.”