Oak Brook hotel sexual assault: Man's conviction, prison sentence upheld by appellate court

OAK BROOK, Ill. - A state appellate court has upheld the conviction and 88-year prison sentence of a man found guilty of sexually assaulting a female employee at an Oak Brook hotel in 2019.

The Illinois Third District Appellate Court rejected Julius Ramsey’s claim that his attorney was ineffective for failing to explain to the jury why he chose not to testify after initially indicating he would.

Ramsey, 41, was convicted in May 2021 after a jury found him guilty of three counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault with a firearm, one count of aggravated kidnapping with a firearm, and one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

His charges stemmed from an attack at the Hyatt House on Sept. 9, 2019, where prosecutors said he forced the victim into a vacant room at gunpoint, sexually assaulted her multiple times, threatened her life, and held her captive until she managed to escape.

Julius Ramsey (DuPage County State's Attorney)

During his appeal, Ramsey argued his lawyer failed to adequately address his last-minute decision not to testify. However, the appellate court found his attorney "put forth a rigorous defense and appropriately addressed the absence of defendant’s testimony during his closing argument."

The court further stated:

"Counsel highlighted defendant’s constitutional right not to testify and emphasized the burden was on the State to prove the charged offenses" and "We fail to identify what more counsel could have said to remedy defendant’s own last-minute decision not to testify."

DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin weighed in on the court's decision, while also thanking the court for its thorough review of the case.

"The appellate court’s decision ensures that Mr. Ramsey will not receive a new trial and his conviction and eighty-eight-year sentence will stand," Berlin said.

Ramsey has remained in custody at the DuPage County Jail since his arrest in September 2019.