photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

Reston Phillips holds hands with a young woman behind him during closing arguments in his rape trial on Thursday, May 15, 2025.

A Douglas County jury on Thursday found a man guilty of raping a woman eight years ago when the two were guests at a Lawrence home during KU’s graduation weekend.

The woman testified that Reston Phillips, then 22, raped her on May 14, 2017, as she slept on a couch in the home’s living room in the 1200 block of Louisiana Street.

Phillips, however, claimed that whatever occurred that night — he did not contest a DNA analysis that found he matched seminal fluid found in the woman — happened while he was asleep and that he was therefore not legally responsible. An expert witness for the defense told jurors that the incident was “likely” a result of “sexsomnia,” or sexual activity that occurs during sleep without the person’s knowledge.

Per the court’s instructions, the jury could not find Phillips guilty of rape if he had not “knowingly” engaged in sexual intercourse with the woman.

Phillips told the jury that the woman consented to be cuddled, or spooned, on the couch and that he fell asleep with his arm wrapped around her chest. The woman said that no such thing happened, that she had zero interest in Phillips, whom she had just met, was happily engaged to another man and was by herself on the couch when she fell asleep.

The woman said that she woke to Phillips raping her from behind and that when he immediately sensed she was awake he paused the assault — indicating that he had not actually been asleep, as Greenwald would argue — only to resume “thrusting” before she quickly pushed him off and ran from the room. She said that he told her, “I thought we were friends.”

During closing arguments Thursday, Phillips firmly nodded when his attorney, Joe Huerter, asserted to the jury that no crime had occurred that night, and shook his head no when Deputy District Attorney David Greenwald forcefully insisted: “He raped her.” At several points during closing arguments Phillips, in view of the jury, tightly gripped the hand of a young woman sitting behind him in the courtroom.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

Reston Phillips is pictured at his rape trial Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Douglas County District Court.