GARNER, Iowa – Jurors began deliberating in the trial of a former Iowa lawmaker accused of sexually abusing his wife suffering from dementia.
Prosecutors say 78-year-old Henry Rayhons had sex with his wife at a nursing home on May 23 after being told she was no longer mentally capable of consenting. Rayhons is charged with third-degree sexual abuse. He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. Closing arguments were delivered Monday.
The case centers on the question of when a person is no longer capable of giving consent for sexual relations.
Rayhons, who served nine terms in the Iowa House, testified on Friday that he and his wife had no sexual contact on the day in question.
His wife, Donna Lou Rayhons, died in August.
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