Casselberry man found guilty in cruise ship rape case

ORLANDO, Fla. — A Casselberry man has been found guilty of raping a 15-year-old girl while on a Carnival cruise ship earlier this year.

Investigators said the girl was raped by Casey Dickerson on the Carnival Sensation cruise ship. The victim said Dickerson then encouraged other attackers to do the same.

The 31-year-old Dickerson denied the charges against him, but a jury came back with the guilty verdict on Friday. He faces life in prison but will be sentenced at a later date.

In August, Dickerson spoke with Channel 9's Jeff Deal and said he didn't know the teens he was partying with were underage.

But during his trial, a 15-year-old testified Dickerson asked their ages and bought them four bottles of alcohol.

Dickerson had access to two rooms because his wife had complained about noise early on in the cruise. Carnival gave them keys to a second room.

Investigators said the group started partying in the first room, and that's where the 15-year-old claims she was essentially gang-raped.

Much of Thursday's testimony focused on DNA collected from the alleged victim, Dickerson and the room.

One teen who was in the bathroom at the time of the alleged attack said he saw a blood stain on the bedding and that Dickerson tried to cover up. The teen then testified Dickerson told him he had sex with the girl.

WFTV