Jury finds man not guilty of domestic abuse

BENTONVILLE — It took a jury about 27 minutes to find a Siloam Springs man not guilty of domestic abuse.

Noah Raymo, 39, was charged as a habitual offender with domestic battering. He has previous convictions for aggravated assault on a family or household member and domestic battering in 2013, domestic battering in 2014 and aggravated assault on a family or household member in 2016.

“He has maintained his innocence from the beginning,” said Hanna Murphy, one of Raymo’s attorneys. “We knew that justice would prevail because he was telling the truth.”

Raymo was arrested in September 2020. He’s been out of jail on bond.

The attorneys gave closing statements Tuesday afternoon, and Benton County Circuit Judge Brad Karren sent the panel to the jury room to deliberate. The jurors were back in the courtroom a little less than 30 minutes later with the verdict finding Raymo not guilty of the charges.

Raymo testified during the one-day trial and denied abusing his former wife.

Ashley Raymo also testified during the trial, and prosecutors presented photographs of injuries she said she suffered at her ex-husband’s hands.

She told a Sheriff’s Office deputy in 2020 her then-husband slammed her into a door frame, threw her onto a coffee table and head-butted her on the lip, according to a probable cause affidavit. She told the deputy she had photographs of her injuries, according to court documents.

Prosecutors also presented evidence of Raymo’s previous convictions and prior domestic abuse incidents.

Murphy urged jurors not to find her client guilty. She told the panel Raymo had taken responsibility for his actions and admitted guilt in the other cases, but maintains his innocence.

“He was very happy,” Murphy said of her client. She noted he and his family had been dealing with the case for some time. Raymo has been out of jail on bond.

Prosecuting Attorney Nathan Smith said the jury had to wade through conflicting testimony, divorce and custody issues. Jurors saw photographic evidence of Ashley Raymo’s injuries and heard testimony from a former girlfriend about being abused while in a relationship with Raymo, Smith said.

“While I am disappointed in the outcome, I understand that these are very difficult cases, and I am grateful for the jury’s service,” Smith said.

Raymo faced up to 40 years in prison if he had been convicted of the charge.