After nearly a day and a half of deliberations, the jury is in. And they have found Joe Harlan Junior not guilty on all counts.

“Justice has been served today,” said Brandon Fletcher, attorney for Harlan Junior. “We presented our case, and the jury heard us and did the right thing. We are grateful to Judge Morales for fair hearing, and to the jury for staying true to their oath.”

“It feels like a weight has been lifted of our shoulders,” added Senator Joe Harlan Senior.

Kristy Wise, the victim who Harlan was accused of raping, left the court room immediately following the verdict, and offered no comment

The verdict brings to an end the case which began Halloween 2015 and was based on the testimony of one witness, as well as lab results which showed that Wise had Rohypnol in her system.

The jury foreperson summarized the verdict as follows, “It was very close. Very. Maybe he posted those messages; maybe she did. We don’t know. But, in the end, we weren’t convinced that he knew she was unconscious. Or when. How can you prove what’s inside someone’s head? I don’t know. They just didn’t prove it beyond a reasonable doubt.”