Man accused of raping 94-year-old woman pleads not guilty by reason of insanity for previous assaults
BATON ROUGE — A man who allegedly raped a 94-year-old woman and sexually assaulted a family member pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity for previous assault charges on Tuesday.
On April 1, following 22-year-old Jeremiah Taylor's arrest for raping an elderly woman outside her home, Taylor was indicted on charges of first- and third-degree rape, crimes against nature, sexual battery, second-degree battery and video voyeurism in relation to alleged assaults that took place years earlier.
While he was arrested and charged for the crimes, District Attorney Hillar Moore said the victim in that case did not want to testify, leading to the charges being dismissed. It was only after Taylor's arrest in March that the charges against him were brought back up.
On Tuesday, Taylor waived formal arraignment and entered a dual plea of not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity, according to court records. His next hearing was set for November 4.