MAHONING COUNTY Deliberations begin in rape trial

The complainant and her parents were among witnesses who testified.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- A jury begins deliberations today on the fate of an East Side man charged with multiple rape counts.
William G. Haschenburger, 47, of Fincastle Lane, is charged with 10 counts of rape between July 26, 2000, and July 26, 2003, when the complainant was age 14 to 17. He could face a prison sentence of 100 years or more if convicted on all counts.
The rape trial began Oct. 6 in the courtroom of Judge R. Scott Krichbaum of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.
Dawn Krueger, an assistant county prosecutor, and defense lawyer Sarah Kovoor made their summations Tuesday afternoon.
Family's testimony
The complainant and her parents were among witnesses who testified. Both parents said they were stunned when their daughter's boyfriend told them in February about the relationship between their daughter and Haschenburger and how long it had been going on.
The daughter, now 19, said Haschenburger first kissed her when she was 13. Kovoor presented the daughter with an e-mail she wrote to Haschenburger, dated a few days after her 14th birthday.
Kovoor read a portion of the e-mail and said the daughter seemed to be expressing feelings about kissing as though she had not been kissed yet.
The woman said she did not remember what her feelings were that compelled her to write that e-mail, but she knew that she was 13 when Haschenburger kissed her the first time.
She said she never wanted Haschenburger to kiss her or have sex with her.
Man considered friend
The woman and her parents described Haschenburger as a family friend. Her father said Haschenburger would come to the house for Thanksgiving dinner, and they also bought Christmas presents for him and helped him when he was ill.
The daughter said Haschenburger would bring them videos and pizza and play games with them, and once went with her and her sister to a movie theater so they could get into an R-rated movie.
Both parents said at one point that Haschenburger was visiting nearly every day, including weeknights. They told him to limit his visits to the weekend and not to come to the house when they were not home.
The complainant's mother said one time after they told Haschenburger not to come to the house when they were gone, she arrived home to find Haschenburger coming up the outdoor stairwell from the basement.
She said she did not get a clear answer when she asked Haschenburger what he was doing, but she did not question him further.
The father said on one occasion he saw his daughter come around the house walking fast with a worried look on her face, with Haschenburger a few yards behind her.
The father said he asked both of them what was going on, and Haschenburger said he was having trouble with his computer and was trying to ask the girl about it.
tullis@vindy.com