Jury trial continues for Nibley man accused of rape

Jacob L. Christensen, 24, accused of rape and forcible sodomy, both first-degree felonies.

LOGAN — The trial for a 24-year-old Nibley man accused of raping a college student in 2011, continued Wednesday in 1st District Court, with the alleged victim taking the witness stand.

The victim testified that on the night of February 26, 2011 Jacob Christensen raped and assaulted her in her bedroom. She explained how earlier that night, she and her roommate picked him up at his Nibley home. He then drove them back to the home they were renting, near Utah State University.

While in the car, the victim testified she and her roommate took the sleep aid, Ambien, for the purpose of trying to hallucinate.

The victim said after returning home, she began to hallucinate, vomit and black out. The next thing she remembered that night was waking-up in her room, being assaulted and finding Christensen there.

“I still remember the pain to this day,” said the victim.

The jury of six women and four men also heard testimony from two specialists with the Utah State Crime Lab that tested samples, taken from the victim a day after the alleged assault occurred.

Both testified that none of the samples showed traces of Christensen’s DNA.

The last witnesses to testify were the victim’s two roommates, one who was with her the night of the alleged assault. She testified that she and the victim took Ambien and then went to their home with Christensen to watch a movie.

The roommate said taking the sleep aid made her sick and she fell asleep while Christensen and the victim were still watching the movie.

The next morning the victim woke her up and told her she had been sexually assaulted.

The second roommate was not home the night of the alleged assault and said she returned home the morning after and found the victim crying and lying curled up on a couch.

Christensen is accused of rape and forcible sodomy, both first-degree felonies.

The trial is expected to continue through Friday.

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