WAUSEON — An appeals court has upheld the rape conviction and prison sentence of an Archbold man who was found guilty by a Fulton County jury last year.
Michael Cowgill, 48, was convicted in March 2025 in Fulton County Common Pleas Court on one count of rape, a first-degree felony, as previously reported by The Village Reporter.
He was acquitted on three additional rape charges. The charges stemmed from a July 3, 2024, incident in which Cowgill was accused of compelling the victim to engage in sexual conduct through force or threat of force.
A jury of four men and eight women deliberated roughly four hours before delivering the guilty verdict. Fulton County Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys Paul H. Kennedy and Allma-Tadema Miller handled the case for the state. Attorneys Samuel Gold and Zach DeSilvis represented Cowgill.
Cowgill was sentenced in April 2025 to 10 to 15 years in the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections. He was also classified as a Tier III sex offender.
He appealed the conviction to Ohio’s Sixth District Court of Appeals, arguing that the evidence was insufficient to support the verdict, that the trial violated due process and that the conviction was against the manifest weight of the evidence.
Prosecutors countered that the victim’s testimony and DNA evidence recovered from a condom were sufficient to prove the rape occurred and that Cowgill used force.
Cowgill’s defense contended the victim had a history of behavioral issues and that her DNA could have been transferred to the condom before the alleged assault.
The appellate court disagreed with Cowgill’s arguments, finding that the prosecution presented sufficient evidence to support the conviction.
The court noted the jury weighed witness credibility in favor of the state and did not err in doing so.
Cowgill was ordered to pay the cost of the appeal.