A pending rape and child sex case in Porter Superior Court has encountered a new challenge as the alleged victim claims to have dissociative identity disorder (DID) with 20 different personalities. Defense attorney Jesse Harper, representing Wesley Duncan, has requested a competency hearing, arguing it’s impossible to determine which personality was present during prior depositions. The case involves charges from January 2020, including two felony rape counts and four felony sexual misconduct counts.
The defense notes that during one deposition, the personality present had no memory of previous testimony or abuse allegations. Prosecutor Mary Ryan cited a 1995 Porter County case where testimony from someone with DID was allowed and upheld on appeal. A similar case against Duncan in LaPorte County was dismissed after the alleged victim wavered on claims, with the DID diagnosis revealed shortly after. The court has granted the opportunity to challenge the victim’s competency, though no hearing date has been set.