Red-faced jury: Man acquitted in 1978 rape of wife rapes 2 other women

John Joseph Rideout was the first person in the U.S. to be tried for the rape of a spouse he was living with

Nearly 40 years after being acquitted for raping his wife, an Oregon man was found guilty of raping two other women, according to the Statesman Journal.

John Joseph Rideout was the first person in the U.S. to ever be tried for raping a spouse while the married couple lived together after he was accused of sexually assaulting his then-wife in front of their two-year-old daughter. In 1978, a jury in Marion County acquitted him of the charges.

But now, nearly four decades later, and in the same courtroom, Rideout has been found guilty on rape and sodomy charges in two separate sexual assault cases.

According to the Statesman Journal, a jury unanimously found him guilty of first-degree rape, and there was only one jury holdout on the first-degree sodomy count, which was enough to convict him.

One of Rideout’s victims was an ex-girlfriend, and another was a woman he knew from church. Both of the sexual assault victims agreed to be identified in the Statesman Journal.

“I’m glad I got to stand up and have my day in court,” said one, Sheila Moxley.

Rideout is expected to be sentenced on Friday, and is currently in custody in the Marion County Sheriff’s office.

 

Photo: Marion County Sheriff’s Office/Mugshots.com