WEST PALM BEACH — Last week, a jury found Jayson Acevedo not guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in 2017.
The four-day trial ended Thursday with the six-person jury clearing Acevedo of any criminal wrongdoing in the November 2017 sexual encounter at a party in Palm Beach County. They could have convicted the Boca Raton-area man of a lesser charge such as attempted sexual battery or battery.
“I’m extremely grateful for the jury understanding the truth behind all the lies and for the great attorneys that represented me,” Acevedo said Wednesday.
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Acevedo, then 22, admitted he and an 18-year-old had sex, so the jury was tasked with determining whether the teen was able to consent.
“We are grateful for a jury that held the state accountable,” said Acevedo’s attorney, Scott Skier. “The evidence in this case was woefully insufficient to support the state’s theory that the victim didn’t consent to the sexual encounter.”
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said the teen “was physically helpless to resist,” and the teen’s sister reported seeing Acevedo on top of the unconscious teen. She had no memory of any sexual encounter with Acevedo, she said.
A witness told a jury last week that she saw the two “mutually” enter a bedroom and have sex, according to Skier.
“The Special Victims Unit will continue to seek justice for the victims of sexual assault,” Assistant State Attorney Brianna Coakley said.