Johnson County jury convicts Chicago man for sexual assault of Iowa City woman

A Johnson County jury Friday found a Chicago man guilty of sexually assaulting an Iowa City woman who was sleeping in the early morning hours on Oct. 7, 2018.

A jury deliberated about two hours, following nearly four days of trial, before convicting Jailyn Kelly, 26, of Chicago, of third-degree of sexual abuse. Kelly faces 10 years in prison.

According to testimony, the woman arrived at a residence with a friend, they had consensual sex and she fell asleep. The woman then awoke to a bright light in her face from a phone and a man was on top of her, sexually assaulting her, she told police.

She said the man was a stranger. She tried to cover up her body and told him “no,” but he pulled the blanket away. When the woman was able to grab her phone and sent a text for help to her friend, Kelly started grabbing his things and left the residence, according to a criminal complaint.

Police found surveillance video from the apartment building that showed a man matching Kelly’s description entering the apartment where the woman was sleeping, then showed him leaving later with a blanket and the flashlight on his cellphone turned on.

Kelly later admitted to a friend he was in the apartment, but denied having contact with the woman. DNA obtained from Kelly was consistent with DNA collected from the woman shortly after the assault for a sexual assault kit.

Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com