Conviction Overturned for Man Accused of Rape Outside Denny's in Highland Park

A man serving 12 years in prison for raping a learning-disabled woman outside a Denny’s restaurant in Highland Park saw his conviction overturned by an appeals court on Friday.

The appeals judges ruled that Lake County prosecutors not only failed to prove the guilt of Waukegan man Nsoni Mpulamasaka, but that they had committed misconduct in the original trial that included having one prosecutor take the stand as a witness.

The Highland Park News reports the appeals decision filed this week noted the evidence of rape was “improbable and unsatisfactory.” Attorneys for the Zambia native defendant argued the 2011 encounter between their client and the 41-year-old Evanston woman was consensual.

Prosecutors were accused by the appellate court of over-emphasizing the woman’s learning disability and calling Assistant State’s Attorney Reginald Mathews to the witness stand to discredit Mpulamasaka. Trial judge Daniel Shanes was also criticized for allowing Mathews to take the stand. Other “improper remarks” were also made that may have led the the jury’s guilty verdict.

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