TRAVERSE CITY — Jurors are set to begin deliberations this afternoon in the trial of an alleged rapist.
Charles Elmer Kovary is accused of beating and raping a woman in her Karlin Road home last year. He's charged as a habitual offender with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and a count of first-degree home invasion.
Grand Traverse County Assistant Prosecutor Noelle Moeggenberg contends Kovary washed the victim's body shortly after the incident in an attempt to hide physical evidence.
"The victim knows her attacker," she said. "Today, the nightmare has to end."
Thomas Seger, Kovary's Traverse City-based attorney, told jurors there is no way to prove his client raped the woman without DNA evidence.
"There is no physical, tangible evidence," he said. "It doesn't provide you with proof beyond a reasonable doubt."
Kovary spent about six years in prison after a 1995 home invasion conviction in Grand Traverse County, Michigan Department of Corrections records show.
Moeggenberg said both incidents "were so similar."
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