A jury on Friday found a former Auburn student not guilty of first-degree rape charges, more than three years after his arrest.
Drew McCormack, then 20 years old, was arrested by Auburn Police on May 23, 2018, and charged with first-degree rape and first-degree sodomy.
Jury selection began on Monday, Oct. 18, in the Lee County Justice Center in Opelika. Trip Walton, the attorney who led McCormack’s defense, said that the state dropped the sodomy charge before jury selection, and that the jury consisted of eight women, one of whom was the foreperson, and four men. Circuit Judge Christopher J. Hughes was presiding.
The jury acquitted McCormack of the first-degree rape charge just before 5 p.m. on Friday, Walton said.
When asked about his reaction to the verdict, Walton said, “I always believe in the jury and I always believe I’m winning until I hear otherwise.
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“It’s nice to know the jury did the right thing, even under the pressure we live in at this point in time.”
Lee County District Attorney Jessica Ventiere said she wanted to thank “the victim for her bravery testifying in this matter.”
“Although we are disappointed in the jury’s decision, we respect the process and the jury’s verdict,” Ventiere wrote in an email.
She also thanked Assistant District Attorney Garrett Saucer and the Auburn Police Department “for the many hours of work and dedication they devoted to the investigation and prosecution of this case.”