Jury finds John Rideout guilty of rape, sodomy

During his second rape trial, a Marion County jury found John Joseph Rideout guilty of sexually assaulting two women. 

Upon hearing the verdict read in court Thursday, the two victims broke out in tears and hugged their friends and family members.

Rideout, red-faced, hunched over in his chair. It had been almost 40 years since he first stood trial in Marion County court for raping his then-wife, Greta, in front of their 2-year-old daughter in their north Salem apartment. The 1978 jury unanimously acquited Rideout.

On Thursday, Judge Thomas Hart polled the jury. They unanimously convicted Rideout of first-degree rape. All but one found Rideout guilty of first-degree sodomy. It was enough to convict him of both charges.

"I'm glad I got to stand up and have my day in court," victim Sheila Moxley said.

It is the Statesman Journal's policy to not print the names of sexual assault victims. Moxley and Teresa Hern both agreed to be identified.

The two women stood in the setting sun outside the Marion County Courthouse. They had exchanged greetings for the first time only an hour earlier. While waiting outside the courtroom for the jury to reach their verdict, Moxley introduced herself to Hern, and they tearfully embraced.

Hern said she was happy to hear the verdict. It was a relief to find out she wasn't the only person victimized by Rideout, she added. Her experience with the assault and the trial has inspired her to create a women's crisis shelter to help others experiencing abuse and assault.

"I want something good to come out of this evil," she said.

The decision came after a three-day trial full of hours of testimony by the two victims — an acquaintance from his church and an ex-girlfriend— and Rideout himself.

He became infamous in 1978, when he was the first man in the United States charged with raping his wife with they were living together. After a made-for-television movie, international news coverage and months of media scrutiny, Rideout fell out of the public's eye. He served several months in jail for violating a probation on a criminal trespassing conviction.

More on the Rideout trial:

Rideout case victim: 'He did not take 'no' for an answer'

Trial underway for man from infamous spousal rape case

Marion County man from infamous 'spousal rape' trial arrested on rape charges

He testified in court that he had five children, moved to northern California to work in a gas station and returned to Oregon to live in a trailer on his mother's property and work seasonally at Norpac Foods in Stayton.

When he returned to Marion County, he joined a nearby church.

"To be honest with you, I'd been looking for a wife for a long time," Rideout said during his testimony.

His account of the night of the alleged assault contrasted starkly with Moxley's testimony.

The victim testified that she hired Rideout to fix a piece of broken furniture and help with yard work. She said she thought he was intoxicated and invited him to sleep on her couch instead of cycling home in the dark. She said goodnight, took her medication and went to bed.

"The next thing I knew, he was in my bed," she said. "I kept telling him to stop, but he wouldn't."

Rideout contended that the sex was consensual. He later told the pastor of the church "I don't kiss and tell," and the victim was giving mixed signals. When Rideout began describing what he called a "close" consensual encounter, Moxley cried and left the courtroom.

Hern testified that Rideout sexually assaulted her three times

"I said 'no'," she said. "He did not take 'no' for an answer."

During the opening arguments, Rideout's attorney John Storkel said the defendant described Hern as the "love of his life."

Rideout testified that he never raped or sodomized her.

"I would never do that to my first love," he said.

He proposed to her twice, but she said after the second assault, she broke-up with him. A fire left her temporarily homeless and she said she reluctantly took Rideout up on his offer to live with him.

Following the third assault, she left him for the last time. Her sister flagged down a deputy, and Hern reported the sexual assault. A Salem Health doctor testified Thursday that she was still in pain when she visiting a few weeks after the assault.

Hern said the final assault happened around May 21, the day Moxley received three calls from Rideout.

All of a sudden, these two women, who did not know each other, were "devastatingly connected," Deputy District Attorney Gillian Fischer said.

After listening to the message left by Rideout, the man who had allegedly assault her three years earlier, Moxley said she dropped the phone, screamed, cried, leaned against the wall and passed out.

"I wanted to die," she said. "I was in so much pain."

She decided to obtain a stalking order against Rideout and report the rape to law enforcement.

During his closing arguments, Storkel urged the jury to not "leave their common sense and reason at the door."

A look back at the 1978 Rideout case:

Rape and Marriage: A look back at the Rideout case

Rideout's testimony included different accounts of both encounters.

"These are very, very important facts," Storkel said.

Rideout began tearing up during the closing arguments. Storkel walked over, spoke with him and passed him a tissue box.

Rideout showed a pattern of targeting and raping women, Fischer said. With much of the potential physical evidence lost to time, the case rested heavily on their testimonies.

"Our society values that as heavily as any other type of evidence," Fischer said during closing arguments. "Our words mean something."

The fear and trauma that Moxley and Hern experienced were evident in their testimonies, she added. Fischer urged the jury to place credibility in their testimonies over Rideout's.

"...there is no glory in being a sexual assault victim," she said, adding there was no benefit or motive for the women to lie.

After closing arguments, Hart ordered the jury to weigh the evidence and testimonies without bias and sympathy. The jury deliberated for about an hour before reaching a verdict — guilty on both counts.

Hart thanked the jury for their service and remanded Rideout to the custody of the Marion County Sheriff's Office. His sentencing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Friday.

Hern and Moxley thanked Fischer as they were filing out of the courtroom.

"A lot of weight was on their shoulders going into this,"  Fischer said.

Moxley and Hern said goodbye outside the courthouse. Both planned on attending the sentencing.

"I'm happy I was allowed to have a voice," Moxley said and paused. "It's a good day."

For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodwort@statesmanjournal.com, call 503-399-6884 or follow on Twitter @wmwoodworth