A San Jose Man's Life Sentence Hangs in the Balance as Jurors Weigh His Serial Rape History
In a verdict that could send him to life behind bars, Emari O'Garrow, 47, has been convicted of raping a woman at his apartment three years ago. The conviction marks the culmination of a month-long trial, during which two victims from his previous rape convictions in Norway testified against him.
O'Garrow's defense team had argued that the foreign convictions could not be used as prior offenses due to discrepancies with US law, but jurors have rejected this claim. The fact that he was convicted five times of rape in Norway and has a history of physically overpowering and coercing his victims will undoubtedly impact his sentencing.
The court can now consider these previous crimes when determining O'Garrow's sentence, which is expected to occur next year. O'Garrow's attorney with the public defender's office declined to comment on the case.
During the trial, a woman identified as Jane Doe came forward and accused O'Garrow of raping her after she met up with him at a bar in Campbell. She claimed that he had repeatedly made romantic advances towards her but escalated those advances when she rejected them, leading to physical restraint while she was intoxicated.
O'Garrow's defense team scrutinized Doe's credibility, including highlighting her initial omission of using cocaine the night of the encounter. However, they were unsuccessful in preventing her testimony from being presented to the jury.
The trial highlights a disturbing pattern of behavior by O'Garrow, who has been remanded to jail and is scheduled to return to court on February 3 with his final sentencing tentatively set for April or May.
In a verdict that could send him to life behind bars, Emari O'Garrow, 47, has been convicted of raping a woman at his apartment three years ago. The conviction marks the culmination of a month-long trial, during which two victims from his previous rape convictions in Norway testified against him.
O'Garrow's defense team had argued that the foreign convictions could not be used as prior offenses due to discrepancies with US law, but jurors have rejected this claim. The fact that he was convicted five times of rape in Norway and has a history of physically overpowering and coercing his victims will undoubtedly impact his sentencing.
The court can now consider these previous crimes when determining O'Garrow's sentence, which is expected to occur next year. O'Garrow's attorney with the public defender's office declined to comment on the case.
During the trial, a woman identified as Jane Doe came forward and accused O'Garrow of raping her after she met up with him at a bar in Campbell. She claimed that he had repeatedly made romantic advances towards her but escalated those advances when she rejected them, leading to physical restraint while she was intoxicated.
O'Garrow's defense team scrutinized Doe's credibility, including highlighting her initial omission of using cocaine the night of the encounter. However, they were unsuccessful in preventing her testimony from being presented to the jury.
The trial highlights a disturbing pattern of behavior by O'Garrow, who has been remanded to jail and is scheduled to return to court on February 3 with his final sentencing tentatively set for April or May.
. The fact that he's been convicted five times of rape in Norway is absolutely appalling, and it's alarming that his defense team tried to downplay these foreign convictions by claiming they didn't meet US law standards 
. While I understand the nuances of jurisdictional differences, this doesn't excuse his heinous crimes.
. The fact that O'Garrow physically overpowered and coerced his victims will undoubtedly impact his sentencing, which is expected to be a life sentence.
. As we await O'Garrow's final sentencing, I hope it brings a sense of closure and justice to his victims 
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. It's like, you're already a serial rapist and now they're gonna throw more years at you? I get that he's gotta pay for what he did, but is it really fair to consider those other cases when he's already been convicted of three times before? Like, what's the point of even having a sentencing hearing if they're just gonna use the same old evidence and throw more prison time in his face?
. Five times in Norway, five times guilty? That's like somethin' outta a thriller, but it's real life, sadly. And now he's sittin' in jail, waitin' for his next act...I mean, sentencing 
. I'm just glad that the woman who testified came forward and gave her story, it takes a lot of courage doin' that 
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. The woman who came forward, Jane Doe, must have been so scared and vulnerable during that night at the bar... I can only imagine how hard it must've been for her to testify against him again after already going through a traumatic experience 
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I hope the judge takes all the previous convictions into consideration and gives him the max sentence he deserves... justice should always be served 
. And to think that two victims from Norway testified against him? That's like, super damning evidence 
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It was basically a losing battle from the start. I'm just glad that justice is being served and O'Garrow is facing the consequences of his actions 
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. We need to keep having these conversations and making sure people know their boundaries and respect others' too 
. Anyway, can't wait for O'Garrow's sentencing next year... fingers crossed it's a life sentence 
I swear, sometimes I feel like these forums are just a waste of time.
. And now he's trying to spin it by saying his foreign convictions can't be used as prior offenses? Give me a break, man 
. And the fact that he was able to make her take cocaine without her knowledge? That's not okay, period 
The thought of him walking free because of some technicality is just infuriating 
. I mean, what even is the point of having a justice system if it's just gonna let people like O'Garrow off the hook? Ugh, my blood pressure is rising just thinking about it... 
this whole thing just gives me the chills you got one guy who's been convicted like five times of rape in another country but somehow that doesn't count here? meanwhile, he's been putting multiple women through hell and now we're supposed to believe his charm act took him from a bar to raping some poor soul and now they wanna throw the book at him lol what about accountability? 
. It's just wrong that he got to manipulate the system by saying those foreign convictions couldn't be used against him 
. And to think, he was trying to turn her credibility into a question mark - what a scumbag! 
The fact that the court is now going to take all this into account when determining his sentence is just fair 
. I'm glad justice is being served and hope O'Garrow spends a good long time behind bars 
I feel bad for this guy, he's been through some tough stuff in the past. I mean, five convictions for rape in Norway? That's a serious record. But can we really say that just because he was convicted abroad, it doesn't count here in the US? 
I mean, don't get me wrong, what he did to her is completely unacceptable, but do we really want to hold her to some super high standard of honesty when he's the one with a serious history of assault?