The State of Ohio v. Stphen Coker

Bowling Green, Ohio criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with raping his wife.<br>
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Appellee, Stephen Coker Jr., and S.O. met at a religious conference in Texas in November 2014. The two kept in contact, and about a month after the conference, S.O. visited Coker in Ohio. Prior to that visit, S.O. made it clear to Coker that she would not have sex with him unless they were married. Coker proposed marriage during that visit, and S.O. accepted his proposal. They married approximately four months later, and in 2016, they moved into a home in Rossford. t some point in the marriage after moving to Rossford, Coker began to demand sex more frequently than S.O. wanted to have sex. According to S.O., in Coker's view, she had to submit to having sex with him, regardless of her desire. <br>
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The disagreement over Coker's demands for sex eventually led to the unravelling of their marriage. <br>
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A pattern emerged in which S.O. and Coker would have a "date night," usually on a Saturday, in which they would go out to dinner and then come home to play board games, listen to music, drink alcohol and/or smoke marijuana, and "have sex." S.O. testified that on some of these date nights, she would fall asleep only to be woken up by Coker having nonconsensual sex with her-which she clarified meant vaginal intercourse-or performing nonconsensual oral sex on her. The pattern of unwanted sexual conduct continued for several years. By June 2020, S.O. returned to Texas and pursued a divorce. <br>
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After S.O. left Coker, she obtained a protection order against him and Coker was indicted on three counts of rape. Each count indicated a different period: January 30, 2019 (Count Two); April 1 to September 1, 2019 (Count Three); and January 1 to June 14, 2020 (Count One). <br>
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Affirmed