Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Trial Scheduled For Second Rape Suspect

DeChay Wilson, 20, is scheduled to go to trial for the rape of a 68-year-old Prescott woman on Feb. 3, 1997.

In pre-trial hearings Thursday, Jan. 16, Wilson maintained his innocence in the case, while the other suspect in the matter changed his plea to guilty and was sentenced to 30 years.

The other suspect, Jared Ian Woodley, 17, also went on record as naming Wilson as the second person who raped the victim. (See related story on this page.)

Wilson's attorney argued the two cases should be separate and not tied together. This, though, was before Woodley pled guilty.

Eighth Judicial District Circuit Judge Jim Gunter informed the barrister the two cases had never been tied together, and were separate.

However, Danny Rodgers, deputy prosecuting attorney, said the only statement he knew about was in the court files already. He said if a second one shows up he will give it to the defense as required under the rules of discovery.

Gunter informed the prosecution and defense if further hearings were required before the Feb. 3 trial date, they need to contact his office for scheduling.

Then, in a surprise move, the suspect's father, Robert Wilson, asked the court to delay the trial while the family found another attorney to represent DeChay.

Gunter, however, said he had no problem with the family finding another lawyer, as long as he would be ready for trial on Feb. 3.

"The suspect," Gunter told Wilson's family, "belongs to me now. If you want to hire someone else, help yourself. The trial is Feb. 3."

The decision to seek another attorney apparently shocked Wilson's current lawyer, who looked stunned when the father mentioned this to the judge.

Rodgers agreed with Gunter, saying the prosecution is ready to try Wilson on Feb. 3. "We're vigorously opposed to any continuance in this case," he said. "We've played enough games. I'm ready to try him."

Wilson has been charged with four separate counts, three felony and one a class A misdemeanor. According to court records, he has been charged with residential burglary, aggravated robbery, theft of property and rape.

Records state on April 20, 1996, he and Woodley (who pled guilty in the case and was sentenced to 30 years) entered the home of the 68-year-old victim for the purpose of stealing money.

However, while inside, they reportedly placed a towel over the victim's face and each raped her.

Wilson was given a psychiatric evaluation at the South Arkansas Regional Mental Health Center in El Dorado in September, 1996.

According to these records, he allegedly reported hearing voices on three separate occasions along with hearing animal noises.

The voices, he told the psychologist, said "crazy stuff" such as "drown, drown, drown the dead," but he didn't know what it meant.

Wilson also admitted to the psychologist he had been smoking marijuana most of the time he had heard the voices.

He also said he had never experienced any visual hallucinations.

The voices, he told the examiner, David Margolis, never told him to harm himself or do anything.

According to the evaluation, Wilson is competent to stand trial, knows the charges against him and the possible sentence he could receive.

Additionally, the evaluation shows Wilson has no psychiatric impairment which would keep him from conforming to the laws of society and knows right from wrong.