As a man charged with the raping of his niece and her murder returns to court Thursday, the judge will consider including his criminal record in trial.

Ben Madilynn July 13, 2023

The judge will decide whether or not to let the criminal record of the man who is accused of killing and raping a niece be revealed during his trial. The defendant is facing charges for the horrendous crime he committed against a member of his family. The case has shocked local residents, who have closely followed the court proceedings.

The outcome of the trial is greatly affected by the judge’s decision to include or exclude the criminal record of the defendant. It could provide important insight into the defendant’s past behavior, and possibly establish a pattern or violence. The defense could argue that the introduction of this information would bias the jury in favor of the defendant. Both sides will present their arguments and the court will await a decision that is crucial in determining the justice of this horrific crime.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville man accused of raping his 16-year-old niece and killing her and her unborn child will be back in court Thursday.

The judge is likely to make a decision at some point about whether past accusations against Jonathan Quiles His criminal history is relevant to his murder trial.

Quiles was in court two weeks ago The first part of the Williams Rule Hearing will determine whether or not the prior accusations and crimes can be used in the future trial.

In most cases, prosecutors cannot bring up previous crimes or convictions during a trial. This evidence cannot be used in a trial to argue against a defendant. “propensity” For a certain crime, the defendant was convicted or charged with something similar before.

The prosecution is arguing that they should be allowed to mention Quiles’ criminal past, as they believe the testimony of a second potential minor victim would help their murder case.

According to an arrest report from 2019, a girl was sleeping at Quiles’ home in December 2017 to watch his daughter, aged 3 years old. He woke her in the middle night and sexually assaulted her.

During the hearing of two weeks back, prosecutors said that the testimony given by the girl might help Iyana Sawyer’s unborn child and Iyana to get justice.

According to the report, that unknown girl told her mom about what happened a year later — around the time Sawyer, Quiles’ niece who is accused of murdering, disappeared.

Sawyer’s last sighting was on December 19, 2018. According to court documents, she had driven to her uncle’s work at a salvage yard in North Main Street following school.

Police believe that the 16-year old girl was shot, killed and then placed in a dumpster and taken to Otis Road Landfill. Investigators searched through 5,500 tons, but the body of the 16-year-old was not found.

Sawyer, who was 5 months pregant at the time her family reported that she had gone missing in December, was reported as missing by her family.

Quiles is currently in prison for four years.

The prosecution is seeking the death sentence. Quiles’ trial will be held in September.