State v. Redic, 2019 Ohio 3395

Victim Y.M. and defendant Jerad Redic were dating and living together; the incident occurred May 3–4, 2018 at Y.M.’s Fairborn residence after an argument.
Y.M. testified Redic assaulted her: dragged and choked her unconscious, threatened her, restrained her, digitally penetrated her vagina, then anally raped her by force.
Y.M. sought help via text to her sister and called 911 when briefly allowed outside; officers found Y.M. with neck injuries and Redic asleep on the couch with bleeding hands.
A SANE nurse examined Y.M., documented multiple injuries including an anal prolapse consistent with forceful penetration, and collected swabs; DNA testing could not exclude Redic as the male contributor.
Redic was indicted on two counts of rape, attempted felonious assault, and abduction; a jury convicted him of one count of rape (penile anal penetration), acquitting on the other counts; he was sentenced to a mandatory seven-year term and designated a Tier III sex offender.

Issue	Plaintiff's Argument	Defendant's Argument	Held
Whether the rape conviction was against the manifest weight of the evidence	The State argued the jury reasonably credited Y.M.’s consistent testimony, medical/SANE findings, and DNA linking Redic to samples	Redic argued Y.M.’s credibility was undermined by past mental-health diagnoses (schizoaffective disorder) and inconsistent statements, so the jury lost its way	Court held the verdict was not against the manifest weight: jury reasonably credited the State, medical/DNA evidence supported forceful anal penetration, and acquittals on other counts showed careful weighing

State v. Thompkins, 78 Ohio St.3d 380 (establishing the manifest-weight standard)
Eastley v. Volkman, 132 Ohio St.3d 328 (clarifying application of manifest-weight review)
State v. Martin, 20 Ohio App.3d 172 (noting reversal for manifest-weight error is reserved for exceptional circumstances)