On March 11, 2021, a Dauphin County jury convicted Morlon Winston of rape by forcible compulsion, sexual assault, and strangulation. The charges arose from an incident on October 10, 2018, at the defendant’s home in Lower Paxton Township. After an argument over the victim talking to another male on the telephone, Winston twice strangled the victim to the point of unconsciousness.  Winston then raped her. Judge John J. McNally will sentence the defendant in approximately ninety days.  This delay allows the Sexual Offenders Assessment Board to determine whether Winston meets the criteria for designation as a sexually violent predator.

This verdict would not have been possible without the resilience of the victim in pursing justice for herself and the excellent police work of Detective Dan Smeck and Corporal Autumn Lupey of the Lower Paxton Township Police Department.  Deputy District Attorney Katie L. Adam prosecuted the case.