Ithaca, N.Y. — A 44-year-old man was convicted Thursday of sexually abusing a child, according officials with the Tompkins County Courthouse.
[fvplayer src=”https://vimeo.com/120846728″ loop=”fale” mobile=”https://vimeo.com/120846728″]
Tompkins County Public Library
The 21st Century Library Campaign
Edward Andre Alexander, of Dryden, was found guilty of two counts of first-degree sexual abuse and one count of endangering the welfare of a child, courthouse officials said.
The jury deliberated for three hours on Thursday before reaching its verdict, according to a statement from the Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors accused Alexander of grabbing a victim while the victim was sleeping.
As previously reported in the Ithaca Voice, the defense urged the jury to consider what it called the “questionable” reliability of the prosecution’s witnesses.
ADA Wendy Franklin prosecuted the case.
From our report on Thursday:
The child testified in court on Tuesday that the event occurred when the child was visiting Alexander’s home.
The victim said he or she had gone to sleep on the couch after midnight while Alexander was watching television in the same living room. The child testified in court that Alexander’s advances began a little before 2:30 a.m.