Clay Conaway rape trial: Day 7

SUSSEX CO., Del. – Arguably the most emotional moment in court, Tuesday, was when Clay Conaway’s mother took the stand. While her cross examination should continue Wednesday, the jury was able to learn a little more about what might have happened on June 20th, the night in question.

On the seventh day of Clay Conaway’s rape trial, his mother took the stand. Early on, the defense walked over to where Conaway was sitting and asked his mother, “Who is this?” Conaway’s mother became very emotional, holding back tears and said “That’s Clay,” while her son was seen wiping his eyes.

The defense showed text messages between Conaway and his mother, from the night of June 20th. The text message timeline shows that Conaway was talking to his mom for about 15 minutes. That timeline matches with what Conaway’s accuser says happened. She says, in between them having an intimate encounter, Conaway stepped away to talk to his mom. However during cross examination, the state points out that there is a gap in the conversation between Conaway and his mother, about a 25 minute long gap. The conversation resumes not long after Conaway’s alleged victim reportedly leaves his house.

It’s important to note that the State rested its case on Tuesday morning after cross examining the Delaware State Police detective. After that, the defense called a friend of the alleged victim back to the stand. But not much new was learned from either witness.

Clay Conaway is also expected to testify at some point during the trial. There will be six separate trials, one for each of Conaway’s alleged victims, because the judge believes it’s important to determine whether they gave consent in each case. Conaway was charged with first and second degree rape, among others, back in September 2018. He has pleaded not guilty to the almost 10 charges against him.

To see coverage from day 6 of the trial: click here.