Story Highlights• NEW: Sex offender acquitted of dungeon rapes
• Kenneth Hinson took stand, denied raping two teens in underground room
• Hinson was convicted of raping a 12 year old girl in 1991
• Hinson faced mandatory life sentence if convicted

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DARLINGTON, South Carolina (AP) -- A jury has found a convicted sex offender accused of raping two teen girls in an underground bunker not guilty of kidnapping, sex crimes and assault with intent to kill.

Kenneth Glenn Hinson, 48, wiped his eyes and mouth and appeared to cry after the jury read its verdict, which followed about four hours of deliberations over two days.

Authorities had charged that Hinson snatched the then-17-year-old girls from their bedroom and dragged them one at a time to the underground room hidden beneath a tool shed, where he raped and bound them with duct tape.

Prosecutors said Hinson expected the girls to die because the room had no air supply.

However, Hinson testified during the six-day trial that the girls had consensual sex with him. He said they made up the story so they would be able to take drugs from the underground room, which he used to store marijuana.

The two young women were not in the courtroom when Hinson was acquitted. Their mothers wept.

If convicted, Hinson had faced a mandatory life sentence without parole under the state's two-strikes law because he was convicted of raping a 12-year-old girl in 1991.

The underground room was about the length and width of a mid-sized car with a ceiling about 41/2 feet high. Hinson testified Sunday that he had built the room over two years.

Defense attorney Rick Hoefer spent much of his nearly two-hour closing argument Sunday picking apart what he called inconsistencies in the teens' testimony, including how long it took them to call 911 after their alleged escape and whether they saw Hinson with a gun.

Prosecutors said any discrepancies in their stories might have been a result of the trauma the teens went through.

Hinson was not freed because prosecutors asked that he be held on pending burglary charges.

Why is it that the girls have to prove what he did to them. It is like they are guilty and must prove themselves. I say lock his sorry arse up and let the men in jail bind and tie him and bitch fuck him and see if it was all worth it.
The sick prick needs more then the courts could ever give him. He is a parasite that deserves to die and have his dick cut off.
Yes I am hostel. Men like this make me sick and I would kill him if he ever touch one of my kids, when I have kids or any man like him

what the fuck was he doing with two 17 year old? They are underage!! concent or not...dude that preditory.

Why is it that the girls have to prove what he did to them.
Because the way justice works is that the accused are innocent until proved guilty. It's fine to be emotional, but don't let your emotions cloud your judgment. The man deserved a fair trial.

Because the way justice works is that the accused are innocent until proved guilty. It's fine to be emotional, but don't let your emotions cloud your judgment. The man deserved a fair trial.

Agreed

Why is it that the girls have to prove what he did to them. It is like they are guilty and must prove themselves. I say lock his sorry arse up and let the men in jail bind and tie him and bitch fuck him and see if it was all worth it.
The sick prick needs more then the courts could ever give him. He is a parasite that deserves to die and have his dick cut off.
Yes I am hostel. Men like this make me sick and I would kill him if he ever touch one of my kids, when I have kids or any man like him

I understand the rage that a rape causes. If a rape was actually committed by this man, he does deserve life in prison. It is also true that some women will falsely accuse a man of rape as a means of revenge, or even so that they can profit from a lawsuit. The reasons we have trials are to determine the truth, as best it can be proven. The presumption of innocence is important because almost everyone will believe the accused guilty until it is proven otherwise. The defendant starts with a cloud of suspicion over him.

Most of the time, rape cases come down to weighing the credibility of the man and woman involved. In this case, a jury who actually were present for the entire trial, and who got to see and hear the complete testimony of the girls and the defendant, found that they did not find these young women convincing enough to convict the defendant. There were inconsistencies in their stories. I do not know if this man was guilty, and neither do you.

You want to protect your children, and I agree that this is important, but I ask you to imagine what it would feel like to have a woman accuse your son of rape. You know she's lying, but the media is all reporting about this young women who is crying and upset. Everyone is listening and deciding your son is a monster who needs to be locked away forever. Would you want him to have a trial, and a chance to be heard? Every man is some woman's son.

Girls can cry wolf and fuck over a guy at any time. Just seduct him in, fuck him, and then cry rape... and chances are he's going to jail for life and you get a shitload of easy money

Hmmm... this is a tough one. I agree that there are girls/women that use rape as a weapon against men, but this guy is a little weird. He said he has this little room under his shed to keep his pot in. I know a lot of people who keep pot, maybe in their dresser drawer. This guy, a convicted rapist of a 12 year old girl 15 years ago, now has weapons charges against him ( a violation of his parole) and a secret room under a shed behind his house. A little strange to say the least. I still think he's an animal for what he did in 1991 and should not be on the street. I don't believe the girls made it up, based on this man's past and the fact that he is still breaking the law.

Hmmm... this is a tough one. I agree that there are girls/women that use rape as a weapon against men, but this guy is a little weird. He said he has this little room under his shed to keep his pot in. I know a lot of people who keep pot, maybe in their dresser drawer. This guy, a convicted rapist of a 12 year old girl 15 years ago, now has weapons charges against him ( a violation of his parole) and a secret room under a shed behind his house. A little strange to say the least. I still think he's an animal for what he did in 1991 and should not be on the street. I don't believe the girls made it up, based on this man's past and the fact that he is still breaking the law.

I agree..
Yes I feel that for him any way my hatred is warranted. He has raped once before a 12 yr old. That alone should have had him locked up and the key thrown away..
All to often the women is portrayed as she deserved it or is just crying wolf. Why do you think so many rapes and abductions go unreported. Yes investigate the crime but make sure once the crime is done that the time is also done. He should not have been out loose to commit a second crime.

Hmmm... this is a tough one. I agree that there are girls/women that use rape as a weapon against men, but this guy is a little weird. He said he has this little room under his shed to keep his pot in. I know a lot of people who keep pot, maybe in their dresser drawer. This guy, a convicted rapist of a 12 year old girl 15 years ago, now has weapons charges against him ( a violation of his parole) and a secret room under a shed behind his house. A little strange to say the least. I still think he's an animal for what he did in 1991 and should not be on the street. I don't believe the girls made it up, based on this man's past and the fact that he is still breaking the law.
I agree. However...

My assumption of guilt is based on circumstantial evidence.
My assumption of guilt lacks hearing the testimony of the girls and the man involved.
My assumption of guilt has no bearing in a court of law.
My assumption of guilt is not sufficient to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that he is, in fact, guilty.
My assumption of guilt stems directly from both my emotions and my tendency to use Occam's Razor.
The prosecution failed to convince a jury who, like almost all people, was likely prejudiced against accused rapists to begin with, especially ones with a prior sex offense record.

The man walks free, maybe because he didn't do it, or maybe because the prosecution sucked. However, this is how our justice system works. I'm proud to be in a country that defends the accused's rights so vehemently.

Girls can cry wolf and fuck over a guy at any time. Just seduct him in, fuck him, and then cry rape... and chances are he's going to jail for life and you get a shitload of easy money

Must be a lot easier when the guy is a convicted sex offender. :rolleyes:

Hmmm... this is a tough one. I agree that there are girls/women that use rape as a weapon against men, but this guy is a little weird. He said he has this little room under his shed to keep his pot in. I know a lot of people who keep pot, maybe in their dresser drawer. This guy, a convicted rapist of a 12 year old girl 15 years ago, now has weapons charges against him ( a violation of his parole) and a secret room under a shed behind his house. A little strange to say the least. I still think he's an animal for what he did in 1991 and should not be on the street. I don't believe the girls made it up, based on this man's past and the fact that he is still breaking the law.

Interesting that he is a drug dealer. He said he used the room under his shed to keep large quantities of pot hidden. Large quantities of pot are harder to keep hidden because of the odor, and no I don't mean the distinctive smell of burning pot. I mean the distinctive odor of pot just like you'd smell it in a baggie. More pot equals more smell.
I suspect that one reason teenage girls might be hanging around a drug dealer might be to obtain drugs. I also know that sometimes teenage girls get drugs free when they have sex with the dealer. Just possibly, this man learned his lesson 15 years ago, and refused to have sex with them. In return, perhaps they decided to charge him with rape. It is also possible that he did rape them. We have juries to do the best job they can, as fallible humans, of sorting out what happened. We insist on proof beyond a reasonable doubt, and the juries opinion in this case was that the prosecution did not prove the case to that standard.

Interesting that he is a drug dealer.

Just possibly, this man learned his lesson 15 years ago, and refused to have sex with them.

He was in prison for rape and now was caught with a gun and a drug dealer. Just what lesson has he learned? He can hang out and sell drugs to young girls as long as he doesn't rape them? I am not trying to be a smart ass, I have read your posts and find you to be a genuinely clear thinker. I just disagree with you on this point, IF your point is that this man deserves to still be in a society he has no respect for.

well I am sure they used a rape kit on the teens to prove his sperm was in him. He did admit to having sex with them but consentual. However that being said they are 17 that is underage and he knows perfectly well that anyone under 18 is off limits due to his rape of a 12 year old.

I think he should have been charged on that and I do not know why he is getting off on those charges.
I know many men who have been put in jail for having sex with a minor because she was 17 and not 18.

Yes some woman cry rape and it is false but we cannot think like that.
Many woman do not come forward for that very reason and also they do not want to go up on the witness stand and be called a lair and be humilated in front of a bunch of strangers.
Many people simply think they will not be believed or that it was somehow thier fault.
It is really sad and do not know why lie detectors cannot be used in these cases.

He was in prison for rape and now was caught with a gun and a drug dealer. Just what lesson has he learned? He can hang out and sell drugs to young girls as long as he doesn't rape them? I am not trying to be a smart ass, I have read your posts and find you to be a genuinely clear thinker. I just disagree with you on this point, IF your point is that this man deserves to still be in a society he has no respect for.

Pretty hard to get any real employment as a paroled sex-offender. Becoming an independent adult recreational substance provider may have given him the only real job he's able to do, given the restrictions placed upon him by society.

Umm...I absolutely hate drug laws but why isn't he just charged with possession with intent to distribute. He'll probably get more time then a rape conviction...

Indeed 500. Drug laws are quite strict.

I think he should still have been in prison for what he did in 1991, BUT that has no bearing on this case. As Borg said, the jury must have been a bit prejudiced against him in the first place, as obviously most of us are since he is a convicted rapist. As a 17 year old girl, one who knows a lot of teenage girls, I actually tend to think that things didn't really go down like they said. The guy is a drug dealer, why would they be hanging around him? To get drugs obviously. Women can get drugs for free even if they don't have sex with the drug dealer, so having sex with him obviously would get them a lot more. What I think happened is that they went over there and he got them high and then had sex with them while they were under the influence, and later they regretted it and probably did feel as if he had raped them.

Also since he's not in jail for statutory rape right now 17 must be legal where he lives.

He was in prison for rape and now was caught with a gun and a drug dealer. Just what lesson has he learned? He can hang out and sell drugs to young girls as long as he doesn't rape them? I am not trying to be a smart ass, I have read your posts and find you to be a genuinely clear thinker. I just disagree with you on this point, IF your point is that this man deserves to still be in a society he has no respect for.

I think ES-347 made a pretty good point on his job prospects. Also, if his defense against a rape charge is to admit in court to committing a felony while on parole, I scarcely think he is going to be free anytime soon. I would guess his parole on the original charge has been revoked, and he will serve the rest of the sentence for that conviction.

I think the big issue here is should sex offenders even be given a second chance? It seems to me that they are never really rehabilitated. Why let them go out and continually commit crimes?

I think the big issue here is should sex offenders even be given a second chance? It seems to me that they are never really rehabilitated. Why let them go out and continually commit crimes?
I agree with that statement.
I have yet to hear of a sex offender being cure or curved of this appetite to re-offend.
A second chance at who's expense? Would you like it to be your daughter or sister that gets rape or molested next. Think long and hard on that one and be truthful.
I would really hurt someone if they ever touched some one I know or a child that I might have. I do believe in an eye for an eye on this issue.
Sex offenders can not be cured. They can be suppressed but even that has it limitations. If they do not take their medications then the urges come back.
This is not something I am willing to gamble on.

DARLINGTON, South Carolina (AP) -- A jury has found a convicted sex offender accused of raping two teen girls in an underground bunker not guilty of kidnapping, sex crimes and assault with intent to kill.
Now I can go back home to post on allforums. Prison pea soup isn't as good as soup kitchen pea soup, just to let you all know.

Girls can cry wolf and fuck over a guy at any time. Just seduct him in, fuck him, and then cry rape... and chances are he's going to jail for life and you get a shitload of easy money

This isn't some firsthand info here, is it?

Umm...I absolutely hate drug laws but why isn't he just charged with possession with intent to distribute. He'll probably get more time then a rape conviction...
he's still being held for Federal gun charges. the odds of him ever walking the streets again are pretty slim.

This isn't some firsthand info here, is it?
i'm sure it happens, but more in the movies than IRL.