In unusual trial, Syracuse man representing himself questioned a 12-year-old girl he raped

Syracuse, N.Y. – A man defending himself at trial in Syracuse admitted to raping a 12-year-old girl after cross-examining his victim during her hours-long testimony.
Eugene Kimbrough, now 63, was set to put on his defense Friday after prosecutors presented the last of their evidence against him Thursday.
Instead, he came to court and said that after hearing the evidence against him, including the testimony from his victim, he could no longer mount a defense. He told the judge that he would plead guilty to all seven charges he faced, including predatory sexual assault of a child and first-degree rape.
He now faces a maximum of 25 years in prison.
Kimbrough was at a corner store near Oakwood Avenue and Burt Street on March 16, 2023, when he saw two young girls, prosecutor Ariana Pastorello said.
The girls, 11 and 12 years old, were lost and Kimbrough offered to buy them snacks and give them a place to sleep. He took them back to his apartment at the Snowdon Apartments on James Street. The girls were strangers to Kimbrough.
On March 17, the 11-year-old girl left the apartment and Kimbrough raped the 12-year-old girl. Kimbrough was 61 at the time of the assault.
Kimbrough’s DNA was found on the child. When police searched his apartment, they found a note with the two girls’ names written on them.
Despite the evidence against him, Kimbrough decided to go to trial and represent himself without the help of an attorney.
The prosecutor said that Kimbrough knew all the evidence against him from the outset of the case but it is his right to go to trial and defend himself.
She said she believed he was relying on the fact that his victim was a vulnerable 12-year-old who was living in foster care. She said he likely thought she could not effectively take the stand against him, but she was clear in her testimony.
Kimbrough cross-examined his victim himself. At one point he said that the girl had told him she was 14 and not 12 at the time of the assault, she answered that would not make what he did right.
On Friday, he told the court that after hearing the girl’s testimony, he felt he had to admit to what he did.
Kimbrough has been in and out of state prison for decades. Most recently he was in prison from 2006 until November 2022 after being convicted of assaulting a police officer and third-degree burglary. He was driving a stolen car when he tried to run down a DeWitt Police officer in 2005, according to Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard archives. He was shot in the incident.
Just five months after his release, he raped the 12-year-old girl in Syracuse.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 16. He did not receive and sentencing promise as a result of pleading guilty.
Staff writer Anne Hayes covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? You can reach her at [email protected].