”Help me, please! I’ve been raped by a black man! He’s after me!” She manages to construct a plan and escapes to a neighbor’s house where she bangs on the door. Although I didn’t want to look at him, I had to. Did he have scars? Tattoos? He had close-cropped hair. I studied his face for features to identify. ”In blinks, I willed myself to note the details. She wills herself to note details of his appearance. Jennifer tries to talk him out of it, offering money. ”At five-foot two, I knew I wouldn’t win a physical struggle.” Though terrified, she thinks about her choices. Shut up or I’ll cut you!” Jennifer is being raped at knifepoint. In the summer of July 1984, Jennifer is awakened from sleep around 3 AM, perhaps by a noise but definitely knowing something was amiss. al, 2009).Jennifer Thompson was a student at Elon College in Burlington, North Carolina. He is sentenced to two life sentences plus 180 years (Thompson-Canino et. Cotton is convicted once again, this time for the rapes of both Thompson and Reynolds. At the end, the judge decides to suppress any evidence regarding Poole. The jury is not present during Poole’s testimony. At the second trial, Cotton’s lawyer motion for a voir dire examination of Bobby Poole. The trial begins and both Jennifer and Mary testify against Cotton. al, 2009).Īn all-white jury is selected for the second trial. This time however, Cotton was being charged with the rape of Mary Reynolds after she claimed she knew it was Cotton but was too scared to identify him three years prior (Thompson-Canino et. Cotton is granted a new trial that begins in November of 1987. al, 2009).Īt the beginning of his second year in prison, Ronald Cotton receives a letter from the Supreme Court of North Carolina saying his conviction had been overturned due to a mistake in the evidence. Cotton writes a letter to his lawyers about the inmate Bobby Poole (Thompson-Canino et. Poole allegedly confesses to another inmate about the rapes. While in prison, Cotton runs into a man named Bobby Poole.

Judge’s words after Cotton is found guilty The judge said Cotton is a “physically capable criminal with abnormal and dangerous sexual tendencies” (Thompson-Canino et. On January 18, 1985, Cotton is sentenced to life in prison plus 50 years. After deliberating for 40 minutes, the jury found Ronald Cotton guilty.

Jennifer testifies at the trial and in the courtroom, identifies Cotton once again.

After the hearing, Ronald Cotton is charged with first-degree rape, first-degree breaking and entering, and first-degree sexual offense. Lineup notesĪt the probable cause hearing, Jennifer testifies against Cotton. The other victim, Mary, is unable to make an identification (Thompson-Canino et. Thompson goes to the police station and does two lineups: a photo one and a physical one. This fueled her energy to find her rapist. Later, Jennifer learns that a second woman had been raped by the same man.

Picking cotton memoir