Jury convicts Spokane man of rape

A Spokane jury today convicted a 22-year-old man of raping a woman more than a year ago.

Brandon S. Coristine cried, sighed and buried his head in his hands after Judge Michael Price read the verdict this afternoon in Spokane County Superior Court.

The jury of five women and seven men found him guilty of second-degree rape after about two full days of deliberation and a four-day trial.

Coristine raped a woman who was passed out drunk at his home at 2304 W. Broadway on Dec. 7, 2008.

Charges were filed on Aug. 31, 2009, after the Washington State Patrol crime lab confirmed Coristine’s DNA, according to court documents. Coristine, who is in jail, will be sentenced March 3.

Sharon Hedlund prosecuted the case. Jeff Compton was Coristine’s public defender.