BOISE, Idaho — Former Idaho state Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger’s motion to retry or acquit his rape conviction has been denied by 4th District Judge Michael Reardon.
The ex-North Idaho lawmaker is expected to be sentenced next week.
Von Ehlinger was found guilty of raping a legislative intern by a 12-person jury in April. The former intern, 19 at the time of the sexual assault, said he forced her to perform oral sex at his apartment after they had dinner. The woman was kept anonymous throughout the trial and was referred to only as J.V. in court records.
Reardon said that in a case like von Ehlinger’s, in which the jury found beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty, he’s not “inclined to try and second-guess that jury’s decision.”
“Based on those reasons, I’m going to deny the motion for judgment of acquittal and deny the motion for a new trial,” Reardon said in court Thursday.
He is expected to be sentenced at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Ada County Courthouse.
Von Ehlinger was a former Lewiston legislator and resigned from his Idaho House seat over the allegation last year.
