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Where you live matters when it comes to prosecuting rape suspects
NBC News • • nation
Key Points:
- In the U.S., most homicides have no statute of limitations, allowing convictions decades after the crime.
- Sexual assault cases, however, often have varying statutes of limitations depending on state laws, which can prevent prosecution after a certain time.
- Dana Beatty's case highlights this issue, as DNA evidence identified her attacker 34 years post-assault, but Ohio law barred prosecution due to the elapsed time.
- Data from the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network shows significant variation across states in the statute of limitations for serious sexual assault cases.
- NBC News has verified and analyzed this data, underscoring the legal disparities affecting justice for sexual assault survivors nationwide.
