Jury finds man guilty of rape charges in Lee County

JONESVILLE, Va. (WJHL) – A Pennington Gap man has been convicted of multiple counts of rape following a multi-day jury trial in Lee County, according to a release from Lee County’s commonwealth attorney’s office.

A jury found Daniel Vanover guilty of 11 counts of rape following the trial in Lee County Circuit Court, the release said.

Commonwealth’s Attorney H. Fuller Cridlin and Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Sarah H. Wynn prosecuted Vanover.

“This conviction is the result of the tireless efforts of many individuals committed to seeking justice,” Cridlin said. “I particularly wanted to commend the exceptional work of Kim Marsee, Lee County Sheriff’s Lt. Todd Jones, Victim Witness Advocate Amy Taylor and Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Sarah Wynn. Their commitment to professionalism in such a challenging case should be recognized and applauded.”

Cridlin declined to provide more details “due to the sensitive nature of the case,” according to the release.

A sentencing hearing is set for Sept. 20.

Cridlin said each count carries a mandatory life sentence.

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