HARRISBURG–Attorney General Michelle Henry today announced that Jesse Krzan, of Lackawanna County, was found guilty of charges related to the rape of a 19-year-old college student in 2021.
A Luzerne County Jury found Krzan, 26, guilty of rape and sexual assault.
Krzan will be sentenced in August. After the verdict, he was remanded to Luzerne County Prison.
“Today, after hearing all the facts of the case, a jury found Jesse Krzan guilty of a truly despicable crime: raping a young woman while she was unconscious,” Attorney General Henry said. “We commend this courageous and brave young woman who came forward and told the jury what happened to her, and we will continue to pursue justice for her and all survivors of sexual violence.”
The assault happened at a dorm room at Misericordia University on April 29, 2021.
The jury heard testimony that, at that time, the victim was recovering from a concussion and spending a lot of time in her dorm room resting and sleeping. Early in the morning on April 29, 2021, Krzan, who was an acquaintance, stopped by the woman’s dorm to “check on her.”
She allowed Krzan to sleep in her room because it was not safe for him to drive home. When the victim awoke, Krzan was on top of her, sexually assaulting her. The woman called a friend and Krzan’s relative, then reported the rape to campus security.
DNA evidence from the crime matched Krzan’s DNA, and video evidence showed Krzan in the building at the time of the crime.
This case is being prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Rebecca A. Elo.
# # #