Island Resident Found Not Guilty Of Rape During Jury Trial
David Creed •
Henry Huyser, 45, of Nantucket, was found not guilty of rape by an island jury in Nantucket Superior Court on Tuesday.
The jury, which included six males and six females, returned a not-guilty verdict late Tuesday afternoon after less than 20 minutes of deliberation following a trial that spanned more than two days. It was a rare instance of a rape case concluding with a jury trial, rather than a plea agreement or another disposition short of trial.
The accuser, who had been in a brief relationship with Huyser, alleged that on June 9th, 2024, Huyser raped her while she was at his home on Old South Road.
During the jury trial, Huyser’s attorney, Jim Merberg, emphasized various details and encounters after the alleged rape to support his argument that the woman's relationship with Huyser and all of their sexual encounters had been consensual. He told the jury that the accuser did not begin describing the encounter as rape until nine months afterward, shortly after Huyser began dating one of the accuser's co-workers.
According to Merberg, Huyser and the accuser had numerous meetups in the weeks and months following the June 2024 incident, including strawberry picking less than one week later at Bartlett’s Farm, a two-night stay at her home on Cape Cod less than one month after the alleged rape, as well as a visit to an antique museum. Merberg told the jury that Huyser and the woman also met after the alleged incident to see one of the Minions movies on the Cape, to have dinner and breakfast there, as well as meeting up to attend a Metallica concert in August, and staying over at his place two or three more times following the alleged assault. Merberg added that Huyser and the woman were "kissing and touching" on occasion after June 9th.
According to testimony, the two first met at the beginning of 2022 and had a casual relationship. The accuser said in April of 2024 that Huyser told her to get his number from someone because “basically everyone has my number.” They began texting regularly in April and May, in what she said felt like a friendship at first.
The woman took the stand during the trial to describe the allegations on the night in question, stating that she told Huyser she did not want to have sex multiple times, but that she was raped.
"I was angry, sad, and I had no words," she said. "I was at a loss for words. And I just laid there."
In his testimony, Huyser denied the allegations and said he had never had sex with the woman.
“I was shocked,” Huyser said on the stand when asked how he reacted to the police informing him of the allegation. “I was taken aback. I was blindsided getting that phone call (from the Nantucket Police)."
In her testimony to the jury, the accuser stated that because Huyser had never physically hurt her, she stayed friendly with him and was still open to a potential relationship. She and Huyser stopped pursuing a relationship in July of 2024 because she felt Huyser wanted a “friends with benefits” type of relationship.
In December of 2024, Huyser began dating another woman who works at the same island establishment as the accuser. On January 5th, 2025, the woman came forward to report the alleged incident to police. She said she waited to come forward because of the stress involved with going through the process.
The woman's ex-boyfriend testified in the case and said he could tell “something was off” with the accuser, and he was trying to “calm her down.” He said she never mentioned anything about being raped to him.
Huyser had three character witnesses testify on his behalf, including his two managers/bosses at the establishments where he is employed and his ex-girlfriend, who is a co-worker with the accuser. They all testified during the trial to state that Huyser was truthful, honest, and someone who didn't have any tendencies that would lead them to believe he would commit sexual assault.