Man Gets 20 Years in Prison for Raping Teenager

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A man who cursed at jurors and called them “stupid” after they found him guilty of raping a teenager in Montana has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

The Billings Gazette reports 36-year-old Marcial Mejia was sentenced Tuesday for sexual intercourse without consent. He vowed to appeal to the Montana Supreme Court and took a jab at his attorney, saying, “I expected the attorney I hired would actually defend me.”

Prosecutors say Mejia raped the 14-year-old girl in his apartment in 2012 after befriending her through Facebook. The former U.S. Army supply sergeant and combat veteran, who was convicted in March 2018, says he did not have sex with the girl and he was only trying to make friends shortly after moving to Billings.

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Information from: The Billings Gazette, http://www.billingsgazette.com