
(Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
A former Carthage student who admitted to forcibly raping another student In August of 2023, will spend the next couple of years in prison. Cortez L. Newman plead guilty to Third Degree Sexual Assault. He was originally charged with Second Degree Sexual Assault, but Newman took responsibility for the crime, admitted his actions, and took a plea.
The victim spoke today in court and fought back tears, saying, in part, “What happened to me didn’t just take away from my freshman year. It took away my trust of people, my sense of security, and sometimes my hope for the future. What I need the court to understand is that this crime didn’t just impact one moment of my life.”.

(Kenosha County Sheriff)

(Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
Kenosha County Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Tanck-Adams spoke of the permanent physical and mental damage to the victim. As part of the plea deal, Tanck-Adams didn’t recommend any specific length of a prison sentance.

(Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
“This past year has taught me to just always treat women with respect as a whole, and to just always make sure I’m on the same page as a sexual partner,” said Newman. “And I want to honor whatever judgment you hand down to me today, but if you do grant me the opportunity of probation, I promise you this will be the first and last time you ever see my face in this courtroom again,” added Newman.

(Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
Governor Ever’s Department of Corrections agent who wrote the Presentence Investigation (PSI) recommended probation. It was later learned, that that agent’s supervisor thought it was too lenient and recommended just over a year in prison.
“The court is not going to follow the recommendation [from the Department of Corrections],” said Judge Dougvillo. “I think that would unduly depreciate the seriousness of what has happened here and the long-lasting impact that is inevitably being suffered and will continue to be suffered here by the victim as well as her family. So the court is going to make a prison sentence here,” he added.

Judge Dougvillo then ordered Newman to spend three years in prison, four years of parole, and to register as a sex offender for 15 years. He also ordered $1,232.72 in restitution for relocation costs and medical bills.
26 Responses
3 years for raping a woman…. What are we doing as a justice system…. Hopefully we stop letting crime win within this next 4 years!
I never stick up for judges who make bad judgment calls. I will say that there are some mitigating circumstances that I chose not to write about, and the maximum under the negotiated plea ( under the previous district attorneys administration ) was 5 years. I personally believe this was a just sentence
I mean most sanctuary cities and liberal judges just let them go free on rape.
Scum needs to be dealt with in prison
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but unless you know all the details of the case, it’s hard to say for sure. It seems he took responsibility for his actions and understands he did something extremely wrong. Not many people are capable of that these days. I feel for both people and their families.
I commend the young man for owning up to his wrongdoing, but unless these predators serve jail time, they will never learn from their mistakes!!
The woman who this happened to will never get over this and has to live in fear and get counseling to be able to hopefully trust again and feel safe! Prayers to her courageousness in being able to press charges and testify against this monster!!
Seems like he only took responsibility hoping for leniency.Sure he learned his lesson, a lesson he should’ve learned long ago about how to treat women. The affect on his victim is a life sentence, he deserves the same.
He didn’t rape anyone. He never had a chance the moment she invited him over. She trapped him. But white is right 👍
20 years solid time plus 20 years extended supervision and life registrant. Penis chopped off and
decastrated!
I honestly think that if castration was implemented, there wouldn’t be any raped victims. There would have to be a 100% proof it happened for that to be justifiable though.
Sad days when white girls are still falsely accusing young black men who are on the right path (crying rape after someone chooses to mess with your friend instead of you is insane), and due to financial circumstances they’re forced to take whatever plea they can to try and get out and resume there just starting young life. Should really be called “guilty until you hopefully can prove yourself innocent” Hopefully the NAACP gets a whiff of this
Jane Hall by your post, sounds like you are his Mother or some relative that turns a blind eye and cannot accept the truth of his actions!!!
If he wasn’t guilty, he wouldn’t be going to jail would he?? Sounds like he’s fortunate to have received a plea deal and only serving 3 years in jail, which we all know will be half that!!! He’s lucky he doesn’t have to register for life as a sex offender, as his victim serves a life sentence dealing with the PTSD and fear that this monster has caused her!!!
Sounds like you white and would never understand the cards that black kids are dealt. Move around 😉
quit playing victim, statistics are against you
sad days when white girls who are raped are falsely accused of lying by some old hags
What’s with all these “dindunuffins” from Carthage…him and the Peeping Tom…yikes Carthage. Looks like that DEI recruitment strategy is bringing in their finest! Yikes!
Should not have taken a plea. This case could have been beat.
Please explain….
Text messages between the two show plenty of sexual interest on her part. She was the one that invited him over. This was only brought to attention after he got with one of her friends. I’m not saying he did or didn’t. I’m simply saying I have a hard time believing this case could have been proven beyond reasonable doubt. I have no dog in the fight- Just a kid in law school that likes to research/learn.
Can you clarify where you obtained this information? The evidence has not been and will not be made public until 90 days after the hearing according to the court.
There is no indication of text messages in the public record. The defendant initially requested a trial but reportedly sought a plea deal once the discovery evidence was presented. If your claim were accurate and the defendant had competent legal counsel, it is unlikely they would have advised accepting the deal unless the evidence was overwhelmingly against him. It’s more plausible that the discovery revealed a pattern of abuse, DNA or other SAN evidence, or testimony from new witnesses.
Do you have some insider information that no one else, except possibly legal council, has access to?
This case was a tricky one with very spotty evidence showing this wasn’t consensual. I understand why this young man took the plea deal however, I don’t think a jury would have come back with a guilty verdict.
Carthage has a football team?
Yes, it’s a joke
” Hello, Newman.” LOL!
She had sex with him plenty of times before the charges were filed. She actually wanted to be in a relationship with him and he turned her down. After her friends and others talked her into this she cried rape. If she was so afraid and so assaulted why did she wait so long to seek treatment. Why was she still contacting him after this supposedly happened. It’s a lot of things that were not available to the public and a lot of things that could have came out in trial. NShe didn’t want to go to trial either. Not saying he didn’t make a mistake or bad choice of sex partner. But it’s definitely hundreds of thousands of people who are currently in prison who took a plea for whatever reason who did not commit the crime. and who knew that if they put their fate in the hands of 12 strangers they would be spending way more time locked up for something they didn’t do. Nobody deserves to be a victim. Nobody deserves to be judged by others who aren’t God either.
You’re clearly twisting the “facts” to make this predator look better. You’re defending someone who brutally raped a young girl. Based on publicly available evidence, such as court records, news reports, and other sources, she waited about a week before reporting the assault, which is a completely normal response for a terrified victim, especially a young girl who suffered severe physical injuries. Investigators and the courts took her claims seriously because the physical evidence clearly backed them up, even after several days.
Let’s also look at some other actual fact, this was reported only days after school had started, the assault took place sometime within campus move in week. If we are realistic, and based on your claim of them being together plenty of times, when did the plenty of times happen? And if indeed they had been together, how was the evidence of injury so gruesome, that the reporter in the previous story refused to describe it? How would he have suddenly injured the so badly?
He had every opportunity to go to trial. He even requested a jury trial, but the moment the discovery was submitted, he suddenly took a plea deal. That speaks volumes. He clearly didn’t want to face a jury of 12 peers who would hear the victim’s testimony and witness the damage. And who knows what other information.
You are correct about one thing, this young girl did not deserve to be a victim. But, the criminal, who admitted guilt, does need to be judged, by the courts, and pay the price of a moment of gratification. I hope his assault on her was worth it to him, because she has to live with it for the rest of her life. He only has to give up a few years.