Imprisoned Rochester Man Scores Hollow Appeals Court Victory

St. Paul, MN (KROC-AM News) - The Minnesota Court of Appeals has granted a new trial to a Rochester man who appealed his conviction in a brutal assault case, but 44-year-old Erik Narveson still faces a lengthy prison sentence regardless of the outcome.

Narveson was originally sentenced to 17-years in prison after he was convicted of third-degree assault, second-degree criminal sexual conduct, and felony false imprisonment charges last year, but that sentence was later shortened to 15-years by the judge presiding over the case. Narveson was accused of holding the woman against her will and repeatedly sexually and physically assaulting her during an ordeal that lasted nearly 24 hours in April of 2015.

The Court of Appeals rejected his arguments for overturning all of his convictions in the case but did grant Narveson’s request for a new trial on the assault charge after finding the judge erred by not allowing him to present a self-defense argument to the jury. It’s unclear if Narveson will actually be retried on the assault charge since the 24-month prison sentence he received for the conviction was made concurrent to the 15-year prison term he was given for his conviction on the sexual assault charge.

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