Boardman man found not guilty of all counts in rape case

A Boardman man has been acquitted of all charges against him in a rape case.
A jury found 55-year-old Robert Baxa not guilty on all 18 charges against him. He had been charged with several counts of rape, gross sexual imposition and sexual battery.
Baxa's attorney Joseph Ohlin told 21 News the indictment against Baxa was filed in early 2024 that accused him of doing "horrific things" to an alleged victim.
Ohlin said the cornerstone of the criminal justice system is two things: the presumption of innocence and proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
"I think that the testimony [and] the evidence that was presented throughout this trial, I don't feel that the jury was fully convinced by proof beyond a reasonable doubt that these allegations occurred. That's ultimately why Mr. Baxa is walking out of this case a free man,"
Baxa never took the stand to testify in his own defense during the trial.