Redwood County jury finds Zephier guilty of criminal sexual conduct

On Wednesday afternoon, a Redwood County jury found Marcel Dylan Zephier, age 29, of Redwood Falls, guilty of sexually assaulting a minor female.

County Attorney Jenna Peterson announced Friday that on Wednesday a jury found a Zephier guilty of two counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct in the First Degree. According to the criminal complaint and testimony at trial, the assault in this case occurred in the summer of 2011 when the victim was nine years old.

After the assault, Zephier threatened to hurt the victim and her family if she were to tell anyone what happened.

Peterson said, “This is sexual assault in the real world especially when the victim is a minor. Fear of the perpetrator often surpasses strength to tell anyone what has happened. Instead, victims carry this burden around with them. In this case, the victim was crippled with fear that outweighed her voice for almost eight years before she found the power and courage to disclose what Mr. Zephier did to her. We hope her voice is an inspiration to others who continue to suffer in silence.”

Zephier will be sentenced February 24th at the Redwood County Courthouse.