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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 17, 2005 Christopher Valdez talks with public defender Michael Stedman after the jury�s guilty verdict was announced. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Greenway rape case defendant convicted By PARIS ACHEN Mail Tribune A jury convicted Christopher Richard Valdez Friday of raping a 15-year-old girl in March at a transient camp on the Bear Creek Greenway but found the Phoenix resident not guilty of assault and kidnapping. Prosecutors argued Valdez, 34, and two other unidentified men kidnapped, and raped the girl March 4 inside a tent on the bike path near the Rogue Valley Mall.They alleged the two other men also sodomized her. Michael Stedman, Valdez’s publicly appointed defense attorney, contended sex between his client and the teenager was consensual. "It’s a strange verdict," Stedman said. "You’d expect all or nothing." The jurors deliberated for about three hours before reaching their verdicts. Advertisement "Obviously, the jury thought about it, and they made their decision," said prosecutor Matt Chancellor. "That’s the way our system works, and we accept their decision." A poll of the jurors indicated they voted 10-to-2 for a guilty verdict on the rape charge. They also found Valdez guilty of sexual intercourse with a minor. Wearing a gray dress shirt and slacks, Valdez showed no emotion as the verdicts were read. Jurors gave no explanation after the trial as to why they rendered the mixed verdicts. Three female jurors declined interviews as they made their way through the Jackson County Circuit Court parking lot. The other jurors could not be reached. The victim and her mother also made no comment on the verdicts. The rape case has garnered intense media attention and prompted a swift city and community effort in the spring to remove masses of blackberry bushes sheltering transient campsites along the Greenway, a popular recreational path between Central Point and Ashland. Testimony by the victim during the two-day trial indicated Valdez approached her on the bike path and began a conversation with her. During the conversation, she said two other men jumped out of the blackberry bushes, and one struck her in the face, knocking her to the ground. He then pinned her down and hit her repeatedly in the face before Valdez and the other man dragged her through the briars to a tent, she said. There, they injected her with an unknown substance, and each one raped her, she said. DNA evidence showed Valdez’s semen was found inside the victim when she was examined at Three Rivers Community Hospital. The victim also identified Valdez in a photo lineup and accurately described two tattoos on his chest. Valdez will receive a mandatory sentence of eight years and four months for the rape conviction. The sentence for sex with a minor depends on Valdez’s criminal record, Chancellor said. "I know he has an extensive record," he said. Chancellor said it is likely the sentences will be concurrent, meaning Valdez would serve eight years and four months. "That’s in the discretion of the court," he said. A date for sentencing has not yet been set. Reach reporter Paris Achen at 776-4459 or e-mail Greenway rape case defendant convicted ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Student Loans Online Pharmacy tcg student loan consolidation Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Casino Gambling Sites Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Salvia Divinorum Advertisement s