The former Emporia State tennis player accused of rape has been acquitted.
A Lyon County jury reached a verdict Friday, finding Dominik Simunovic not guilty of rape or aggravated criminal sodomy. The jury deliberated for nearly three hours before announcing its verdict.
Simunovic was charged in October with raping a woman following an encounter in downtown Emporia earlier in the month. A native of Zagreb, Croatia, Simunovic was on Emporia State’s tennis team in the spring 2023 season. His enrollment at ESU ended last fall.
9 am Friday: Jury deliberations set to begin soon in Simunovic rape trial
Jury deliberations could begin Friday afternoon in the Dominik Simunovic rape case.
Testimony began Monday and has continued all week. Jury instructions and closing arguments are planned Friday morning.
Simunovic, a former Emporia State tennis player from Croatia, is charged with single counts of rape and aggravated criminal sodomy after an alleged incident in downtown Emporia this past October. Both counts have alternates alleging the victim was incapable of giving consent due to the presence of alcohol, drugs or other substances. Simunovic says activity was consensual.
