Wednesday in Wayne County Circuit Court, after almost six hours of testimony and two hours of jury deliberations, Edward Abel, was found to be still classified as a Sexually Dangerous Person.
Abel, 53, formerly of Cisne, was last convicted in December of 2012 on one count of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse and was sentenced to prison. This followed a stretch of time from 2003 to 2011 where Abel was found to have sexually assaulted at least 10 victims, ranging in age from 39 to the youngest victim who was approximately 8 years of age. Able was convicted for several of these assaults, however, his longest prison sentence before the 2011 conviction was for only 2 years.
Shortly after his last incarceration, Abel was found to be a Sexually Dangerous Person. Since that time, Abel has repeatedly attempted to convince officials that he is no longer a danger to society.
During yesterday’s trial, Assistant Attorney Generals David Sternau and William Bryant had jurors hear testimony from Dr. Kristopher Clounch, who was called as an expert witness as he is a sexual predator treatment expert who has interviewed Abel previously. Dr. Clounch testified that even though Abel had made progress previously, at this time he has regressed in his treatment and therapy sessions, even to the point of being kicked out of the program for repeated absences and non-cooperation. Dr. Clounch also testified that Abel has never fully accepted responsibility for his crimes.
After lengthy cross-examination from Defense Attorneys Paige and Valerie Strawn, the jury received the case for deliberation at approximately 3:40 p.m. The jury returned to the courtroom at 5:40 p.m. with the finding that Edward Abel was STILL considered a Sexually Dangerous Person. The jury’s decision was unanimous and Wayne County Circuit Judge Denton Aud remanded Abel into the custody of the Wayne County Jail to await transport back to the Illinois Department of Corrections where he will remain indefinitely.
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