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The court rejects the appeal in the case of a predator using sexual violence | News, sports, work

The court rejects the appeal in the case of a predator using sexual violence | News, sports, work

WARREN — Ohio’s 11th Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday upheld the conviction and prison sentence of convicted sex offender David Honzu, rejecting his appeal over alleged ineffective assistance of counsel.

Honzu, 66, is serving consecutive sentences totaling 77 years to life for multiple convictions, including three for kidnapping and two for rape, in connection with a pending 2007 case in Warren.

In October 2022, it took a Trumbull County jury less than 30 minutes to convict Honzu of five felonies in connection with the 2007 sexual assault of a woman who was walking near the old Powerhouse Bar on the city’s northwest side. Common Pleas Judge Ronald J. Rice also found Honzu to be a sexually violent predator and a repeat violent offender, which was added to three counts of kidnapping and two counts of rape determined by the jury.

A nurse’s document read into the record during the trial shows that the woman was followed home by an unknown person from the Powerhouse bar when she returned home around 2 a.m. on July 29, 2007. She described the man who attacked her as having a long face with stubble, being between 32 and 34 years old and looking like David Letterman.

The man grabbed her and then dragged her out of the street.

The report states that he punched her multiple times in the face, threatening further physical harm.

In the report, the woman described that she thought the man had a knife, but admitted that she did not see it.

He forced her to perform a sex act. During the attack, he tried to force her to kiss him. She was held against her will until dawn.

According to a nurse’s report, the victim went door to door trying to get help before someone gave him a blanket and allowed him to call 911. He was taken to the hospital for multiple scratches and bruises.

A DNA sample was taken from Honzu and sent to the state crime laboratory for analysis. A state investigator testified that Honzu’s DNA matched evidence taken from a rape kit.

Honzu was identified as a sexual predator in 1995 for assaulting a 6-year-old boy. In 2010, Honzu was charged with threats for stalking a 12-year-old girl.

In September 2022, Honzu was found guilty in a jury trial for attempting to abduct a woman at knifepoint at a Champion car wash. In this case, Honzu received a sentence of 17 years to life in prison.

The 2007 case, part of the Ohio Attorney General’s initiative to clear a backlog of untested rape kits, was reopened when DNA evidence linked Honzu to the assault.

Honzu is being held at the Marion Correctional Facility.