Verdict reached in trial for State College man accused of child rape
A State College man was convicted Tuesday of raping a 1-year-old in a 2019 case that a Centre County prosecutor said was about possession and manipulation.
Jackson C. Baker, 54, was found guilty of all charges after a two-day trial. The jury of eight men and four women deliberated for about 3 1/2 hours.
He was found guilty of one felony count each of child rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, unlawful contact with a minor and corruption of a minor. He was also convicted of two misdemeanors, including witness intimidation.
Baker, wearing a navy suit, sat next to defense lawyer Todd Edward Henry as the verdict was read. He had no visible reaction.
He was led away from the courtroom in handcuffs and was transported to the Centre County Correctional Facility.
The trial, Centre County Assistant District Attorney Megan McGoron said after the verdict was read, was about giving the child a voice. She also hailed the jury’s ruling as a win for those who come forward with allegations of sexual violence.
“They can finally close this chapter and move forward,” McGoron said.
Baker is facing at least a decade in state prison, though Henry said Baker may file an appeal.
“I always respect the verdict of a jury. I never call in doubt the hard work the jury puts in and their finding,” Henry said. “Doesn’t mean, obviously, that I agree with it, but I always respect it. They put in hard work. They listened. This was an attentive jury.”
Centre County Assistant District Attorney Crystal Hundt cast Baker as a controlling man who would get angry if he could not be alone with the child.
Baker went as far as trying to get custody of the child and hoped she would call him Dad, Hundt said during her opening statement Monday.
Central to the case was the testimony of Brandon Magusiak, a 27-year-old who said he saw Baker forcing the child to perform oral sex in the basement of a State College home. They were the only three inside the house at the time of the rape.
“Brandon Magusiak is the voice for (the child) because she did not have one,” McGoron said in her about 15-minute closing statement Tuesday.
She delivered her entire closing argument while standing behind a podium. That was in stark contrast to Henry, who darted around the courtroom for nearly 25 minutes.
“Credibility is the entire case,” Henry said during his closing statement. “Do you believe him?”
Baker did not admit to any of the crimes for which he was accused. He did not testify.
Henry criticized the State College police investigation, describing a report as “sloppy.” Borough police Sgt. Martin Hanes testified Wednesday that a portion of his report was erroneous. He said it was a misunderstanding.
Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 10.
This story was originally published September 27, 2022 at 4:56 PM.