Latrobe Man Found Not Guilty of Raping 8-year-old

After nearly five hours of deliberations Thursday evening, a Westmoreland County jury found a Latrobe man not guilty on charges that he raped an 8-year-old girl several times over a 13-month period years ago.

Joseph Troy Keslar, 25, testified that accusations were false that he sexually assaulted a then 8-year-old girl five times from December 2004 to January 2006 and then threatened to kill her and her parents if she spoke of the incidents.

Mr. Keslar testified in his defense on Thursday. "No, I never touched her, I am 100 percent certain," Keslar testified. The accuser testified Wednesday that she told a family member about the sexual assaults in 2007.

Defense attorney, Anthony Bompiani argued that there was reasonable doubt throughout the case and that the allegations were untrue. "I believed my client was innocent of these disturbing crimes from the beginning," Bompiani said.

Keslar, who faced six sexual assault-related charges, was acquitted of all charges in the case.