Man who raped woman with special needs gets 25 yrs

By WALA Staff

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    MOBILE, Alabama (WALA) — The man who raped a woman with special needs during Mardi Gras in 2017 was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Cecil Jackson pleaded guilty to first-degree rape and first-degree sexual abuse on Monday.

According to prosecutors, the woman was staying at a downtown Mobile hotel during a trip arranged by a group home where she was living.

The woman wandered from the hotel and was raped by Jackson in an empty parade viewing stand near Bienville Square.

The victim was 25 years old but has the mental capacity of a toddler, according to her family.

“Based on her mental status and her disability, she’s pretty much nonverbal. And so she has a hard time communicating. And that’s how this defendant was able to take advantage of her and sexually assaulted and raped her in a platform that was adjacent to Bienville Square. A short time after that, she was found completely naked, wandering around Bienville Square with very apparent injuries in her private areas,” said Assistant District Attorney Johanna Bucci.

Investigators said they linked Jackson to the crime 18 months after it happened when they got a DNA hit on him from a different sexual assault. He was never charged for that crime.

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