Traverse City -- Charles Elmer Kovary turned to his family as he listened to multiple guilty verdicts leveled against him.
Kovary's eyes widened upon hearing each verdict, and his family cried and consoled one another.
Jurors on Friday found Kovary guilty in 13th Circuit Court on two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and a count of first-degree home invasion. His sentencing is scheduled for March 23.
The verdicts came after two days of jury deliberation, after jurors determined Kovary and another man, Corey Joel Riggs, broke into a woman's Karlin Road residence last September. Both men beat the woman, and a masked Kovary dragged her from a bed and sodomized her.
Riggs in December pleaded guilty to first-degree home invasion, and prosecutors dropped a count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in exchange for his testimony against Kovary.
Grand Traverse County Assistant Prosecutor Noelle Moeggenberg said Kovary's biggest mistake came when he changed his vocal tone shortly after the assault and apologized to his victim. She recognized Kovary's voice because she had helped him plan his wedding reception.
"He let his guard down," Moeggenberg said. "The victim knows her attacker."
The victim testified she was "100,000 percent" sure Kovary attacked her.
"I've studied music and voice for over 35 years of my life, and so when I hear a voice, I don't forget a voice," she said.
Kovary washed the victim in her bathtub shortly after the incident in an attempt to hide physical evidence.
One of Kovary's attorneys, Traverse City-based Thomas Seger, said without DNA evidence there was no way to prove his client raped the woman.
"There is no physical, tangible evidence," Seger said. "It doesn't provide you with proof beyond a reasonable doubt. There is no evidence that Mr. Kovary was there."
His attorneys did not return calls for comment on whether they plan to appeal the ruling.
Kovary spent about six years in prison after a 1995 home invasion conviction in Grand Traverse County, Michigan Department of Corrections records show. In that incident, Kovary broke into a Traverse City home and attempted to sexually assault a woman, police said.
"It's exactly what he did in 1995," Moeggenberg said.
