Lang
4/5/25
A jury has found an Illinois man guilty in an Iowa City sexual assault case.
The jury found 26-year-old Jailyn Kelly of Chicago guilty of 3rd Degree Sexual Abuse on Friday.
According to the initial arrest report, the incident occurred in the overnight hours of October 7th, 2018. The victim returned to an Iowa City residence with an acquaintance and the two had consensual sex. The woman fell asleep, then reportedly woke up to a cellphone light in her face and a stranger on top of her, having sex with her. She tried to cover herself up and told the man “no,” but he pulled the blanket off her.
The woman was able to grab her phone and send a text to a friend telling her she needed help; the man, identified as Kelly, grabbed his things and left.
Surveillance video from the apartment building shows Kelly, who matched the description provided by the victim, entering the apartment, then exiting a short time later with a blanket. His phone’s flashlight was reportedly still on. Kelly was later identified as the suspect.
An investigation determined that Kelly allegedly told a friend that he was in the room with the woman but denied having any contact with her. A search warrant for Kelly’s DNA was secured in September 2021, and it reportedly matched DNA in a sexual assault kit collected from the victim shortly after the alleged assault.
Kelly could spend up to ten years in prison. Sentencing is set for May 23rd.