Witnesses testify in rape case of 83-year-old
By Lee Williams
Published in News on March 1, 2007 1:51 PM
Accused rapist Larry J. Atkins sat silently in his chair Wednesday as a nurse told jurors about evidence collected from an 83-year-old woman he is charged with raping.
Iris Mallard, a registered nurse, at Wayne Memorial Hospital, is just one of the witnesses called to testify in the third day of the Atkins case.
Atkins, 51, of Royall Avenue, faces two counts of rape and one count of first-degree burglary. Atkins, a convicted thief, allegedly broke into the woman's home who lived in the 1100 block of Atlantic Avenue and raped her on Aug. 2 and Aug. 3.
Ms. Mallard is the one who performed a rape kit on the elderly woman after she was brought in for treatment by Goldsboro police.
Mrs. Mallard also told jurors that the victim told her she was in her kitchen when a suspect climbed into her window and attacked he.
The case is expected to resume today at the Wayne County Courthouse in Courtroom 5. Wayne County Superior Court Judge Jack W. Jenkins is presiding over the case.
Wayne County Assistant District Attorney Paige Rouse is presenting the state's case. Attorney Bruce Hulse is representing the accused.
On cross examination, Hulse attempted to poke holes in the prosecution's case by suggesting a piece of the evidence was mishandled.
Dr. Gilbert Kirk Jones, an emergency room doctor at Wayne Memorial Hospital, also testified. He said the victim was also bruised. The defense challenged the statement, saying the bruising could have been caused by consensual sex.