ATHENS - The trial of a Jackson County man accused of raping three college-age Athens women was expected to begin Monday in Clarke County Superior Court. <br>
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Sylvester Deon Collins, 22, faces 14 felony charges, including rape, kidnapping, aggravated assault and burglary. Police charged him with a string of attacks on women that began in July 2000 and ended the following November. <br>
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One victim, a 21-year-old University of Georgia student at the time, told police that a gunman approached her outside her apartment near campus, ordered her inside and raped her. The following month, a woman was abducted and raped near a train trestle. In October 2000, a woman was confronted at gunpoint outside her home and raped. <br>
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A motorist inadvertently led police to Collins after he stopped her on the road and pointed a gun at her. Officers pulled Collins over a short time later. <br>
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Police identified him as a suspect by using DNA comparisons and victim descriptions. <br>
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Two of the rape victims were expected to testify in the trial, which could last anywhere from a week to two weeks. A third victim made a videotaped deposition last month that will be shown to the jury. <br>
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Jury selection was expected to last through Monday. Judge Joseph Gaines has not yet ruled on a defense motion to move the trial out of Clarke County due to pretrial publicity. <br>
