By Associated Press - Thursday, September 29, 2016

DURANGO, Colo. (AP) - A New Mexico man has been convicted of sexually assaulting a Durango woman who died after the abuse nearly a decade ago.

The Durango Herald reports (https://bit.ly/2dbkKTx ) that a jury found 43-year-old Harold Nakai of Shiprock guilty of sexual assault Wednesday. It was his third trial in the case.

Two other men were previously convicted for their involvement.



Nakai had initially been convicted of sexual assault and criminally negligent homicide in the 2007 death of his girlfriend, Nicole Leigh Redhorse. But an appeals court granted him a new trial last year after finding that some of his statements to police were involuntary and should not have been used at trial.

A second trial in June ended in a mistrial after jurors couldn’t reach a decision on the sexual assault charge.

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Information from: Durango Herald, https://www.durangoherald.com

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