A Posey County man who kidnapped a woman and held her captive for nearly two months will remain behind bars after the Indiana Attorney General’s Office successfully defended his convictions on appeal.
In 2014, Ricky House Jr. lured a woman to a trailer he shared with his girlfriend. Once inside, House tied the woman to a bed, later imprisoning her in a cage, and repeatedly raped her over a period of 58 days. The victim ultimately escaped with the assistance of House’s girlfriend’s ex-husband.
House was convicted of rape, criminal confinement, kidnapping, battery resulting in bodily injury, and pointing a handgun. He was sentenced to a total of 93 years in prison.
After an earlier direct appeal was unsuccessful, House filed a petition for post-conviction relief, claiming his trial counsel provided ineffective assistance in violation of his constitutional rights. When a post-conviction court rejected his arguments, House appealed to the Indiana Court of Appeals.
The Attorney General’s appeals team successfully argued against House’s claims, and the Court of Appeals upheld his convictions, ensuring he will remain incarcerated.
“The details of this case are horrific and heart-breaking,” Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita said. “I commend our team’s hard work to ensure justice is done in grossly disturbing cases like this one and in every case our team works on behalf of victims and all Hoosiers.”
Attorney General Rokita specifically recognized Angela Sanchez, Chief Counsel of Appeals, and Ellen Meilaender, Supervising Deputy Attorney General, for their work on the case.