Greensburg man sentenced to 6-12 years in rape of unconscious woman

A Greensburg man convicted of raping an unconscious woman was sentenced Thursday to 6 to 12 years in a state prison.

But supporters of Benjamin Davis, 22, remained unconvinced in court that he committed the crime.

“What I didn’t hear from you is any acceptability or any responsibility for the actions,” Judge Christopher Feliciani said. “The evidence was compelling to the point where the jury found you guilty in the case.”

Davis was found guilty by a Westmoreland County jury in June of rape and conspiracy charges. Two women testified at trial that they were each assaulted by two friends they picked up on Jan. 18, 2018, to smoke marijuana and socialize at their Greensburg home.

One woman testified she fell asleep and awoke to find Davis and another man, Levi Evans, 22, forcing themselves on her. Both she and the second woman testified that they felt paralyzed and unable to move. The second woman was able to fend one of the attackers off.

The woman involved with the rape testified Thursday that she deals with feelings of isolation and is being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder. The rape uprooted her life, impacted her job and left her with sleepless nights.

“Jail takes away his time, this rape took away my life and changed it forever,” she said.

The Tribune-Review does not identify victims of sexual abuse.

The jury said Davis was not guilty of one count of possession with the intent to deliver a controlled substance.

Assistant District Attorney James Lazar asked for a harsh sentence and pointed to Davis’ prior record, which includes gun violations and terroristic threats.

“He decided that it didn’t matter to him when (the woman) wasn’t OK with it … and he didn’t stop his buddy from taking his turn on her,” Lazar said.

One of Davis’ supporters was escorted from the courtroom after an outburst during Lazar’s argument. Two family members testified that Davis is a good person who can be rehabilitated.

“I don’t believe my son committed this crime,” Penny Davis testified. “I raised him to treat females as he would want a man to treat his mother.”

Benjamin Davis asked for leniency.

“I pray and hope that one day the truth will come out,” he told Feliciani.

Evans is scheduled for trial in October.