Vile acts detailed in opening statement as trial begins for Pleasant Hill man accused of attacking his wife and sons – Muddy River News

WARNING: This story contains explicit descriptions of violence and graphic sexual content that may be considered profane, rude or offensive to some readers. Reader discretion is advised.

PITTSFIELD, Illinois — “Make yourself a bowl of dog food. You will eat it on the floor like a submissive whore.”

Assistant State’s Attorney Leecia Carnes did not mince words in the first sentence of her opening statement to a jury of eight women and four men Tuesday afternoon during the second day of the Austin Rodhouse trial before Judge Charles H. W. Burch in Pike County Circuit Court.

He repeated the words Rodhouse texted to his wife, referred to as “CC” in court documents, on May 4, 2024. He said Rodhouse then walked in after CC did as he was told and got on her hands and knees in the kitchen. and kicked him in the stomach, rupturing his spleen.

“This particular discussion between Austin and (CC) began in the late hours of May 3,” Carnes said. “He was angry at (CC) because she hadn’t done the journaling he asked her to do.”

When Austin returned home later that day, he found CC unconscious on the floor. Her from Louisiana, Mo. He took me to a hospital in CC. He was eventually released, but days later when he complained of abdominal pain, he was taken to Blessing Hospital in Quincy for surgery.

Carnes addressed the jury for nearly an hour, providing lurid, graphic and disturbing details about the lives of Austin and CC Rodhouse and their two sons in Pleasant Hill.

Defense attorney Casey Schnack’s opening statement lasted only 14 minutes. He said he expects the state to “throw mud at the wall and hope something sticks” over the next few days.

“They hope that you hear enough bad things that you decide that someone must be guilty of something because this all sounds so bad and so terrible,” Schnack said. “This is not your job and this is not what you are being asked to do.”

Rodhouse was charged with aggravated domestic battery when he was arrested on May 8. The Illinois State Police Criminal Investigation Division opened an investigation after it was learned that Rodhouse’s wife was at Blessing Hospital in Quincy. Rodhouse was eventually charged with 48 counts of domestic violence and sex-related offences.

But Carnes and Pike County Attorney Walker Filbert filed a motion Monday for nolle prosequi (the official record entry of a prosecutor declaring that he or she does not want to prosecute a case) for 29 of those felonies. They did not want to try Rodhouse on all 48 felonies out of concern for a speedy trial.

Rodhouse is now charged with:

• A Class 2 aggravated domestic violence crime with a sentence range of 3 to 7 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
• 1st criminal sexual assault involving force, a Class 1 felony punishable by four to 15 years.
• Four counts of predatory criminal sexual assault on a child, a Class X felony punishable by six to 60 years.
• Three counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, a Class X felony punishable by six to 30 years in prison.
• 2 counts of child pornography, a Class X felony with a sentence ranging from six to 30 years.
• 3 counts of indecent harassment of an adult, a Class 2 felony punishable by three to seven years in prison.
• Three counts of aggravated battery on a child, a Class 3 felony punishable by two to five years in prison.

Schnack admitted to the jury that CC, the “state’s star witness,” was a child predator, child molester and liar.

“This is the person the state wants you to trust in order to strip Austin of his constitutional presumption of innocence,” Schnack said.

Much of the evidence at the trial will center around the concept of free will, he said.

“I believe the evidence will show that (CC) entered into the relationship with Austin of her own free will, consented to the relationship with Austin of her own free will, remained in the relationship of her own free will, and continued in the relationship of her own free will. This relationship may not have been traditional, and some of us in this room have accepted even though it wasn’t a relationship, it was a relationship that they had to cultivate, and that’s how they lived it,” Schnack said.

“You will hear about things that (CC) consented to, things that (CC) had free will to do. You will hear that (CC) consented to behavior that could cause bruising and bleeding, such as beatings and whippings. From Ms. Carnes’s point of view, they were all subjected to (CC), put on (CC), forced to (CC). That’s not the case, ladies and gentlemen.

Carnes’ opening statement was a series of actions in which Austin allegedly pushed C.C. since they met on a dating app when Austin was 22 years old and living in Columbus, Ohio, and Austin was working on a pipeline an hour away from Columbus. . Among the things the jury learned were:

• Austin once painted CC’s body blue, placed her in a tub of green food coloring, and told her “this is over.” I will overcome the ego and be more stubborn than you. From now on, I’m taking away all your independence. You cannot live like this without obeying.
• Austin had sex with CC a few hours after he was released from the hospital on May 4, telling her that having sex was “good for his blood pressure.”
• When examined by Blessing Hospital staff on May 7, CC’s body was covered in stripes, scars, and tattoos, including “Rodhouse’s” on his neck, “Austin” on his forehead, and other tattoos located near the genitals.
• Austin wanted CC to be naked from the waist down while at home and had to ask permission to wear underwear.
• Austin forced CC to take nude photos of herself every day and send them to him. If the man was not at home and asked her to perform sexual intercourse on him, the woman was expected to make a video and send it to him.
• Carnes said Austin forced her to pierce her vagina, and that CC hung some weights from those piercings “because she wanted to lengthen her vaginal lips.”
• Austin forced CC to have vaginal and oral sex with his children, ages 3 and 4. These actions were also recorded on video. If CC refused, Austin gave him punishments that included beatings, beatings, and whippings.
• Austin forced CC to insert large objects into her rectum. If unsuccessful, he would try to force them on himself, often causing bleeding and tearing.
• Austin gave CC an “alcohol enema”. Bags filled with alcohol were inserted into his rectum, causing rapid and intense intoxication.
• Austin used a cattle prod to shock CC and his sons.
• Austin hit CC in the head with the wooden tire blow that truckers use to check the air pressure in tires.
• Austin used a vise to break CC’s finger.
• Austin told CC multiple times that he was going to kill her.

Carnes also told the jury about several women with whom Austin had sexual relations, who engaged CC in “threesomes” with these women. “He wanted them to be ‘sister wives,'” Carnes said.

Rodhouse showed little reaction and spent most of the day scribbling notes during jury selection and testimony. He denied all charges.