Bellingham man found guilty of Redwood County criminal sexual assault

A Bellingham man, Jakwan Markuese Horton, age 22, was found guilty in Redwood County Court on April 12 for a sexual assault that occurred in 2019.

According to court records and testimony, on April 28, 2019, Horton, who was 18 at the time, and the minor victim were at a residence on the Lower Sioux Indian Community when he assaulted her. The victim testified she was sexually and or physically assaulted by Horton on previous occasions, but that after the April 28 occasion he threatened her into silence by saying he would kill her if she told anyone.

During the investigation, a second victim was discovered. The second victim also testified at trial that Horton sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions.

Shannon Ness, Assistant Redwood County Attorney, who prosecuted the case, told the jury in her closing argument, “Sexual assault cases don’t typically have eye witnesses. They don’t have video surveillance or photographs. It is a secretive crime. What you have in this case is Victim’s voice. That is the evidence. Victim told you what Horton did to her. She had a strength Horton was not anticipating and she spoke up about the sexual assaults.”

The jury deliberated for approximately two and a half hours on April 12, 2024 before delivering the guilty verdicts of one count of Criminal Sexual Conduct in the Third Degree and one count of Criminal Sexual Conduct in the Forth Degree. Horton will be sentenced on June 10, 2024, at the Redwood County Courthouse.