1987 (#12) - Caroline's rape, Ron's trial and conviction

Caroline's efforts and attempts to regain control of her life and trust in men are shattered and swept away one seemingly quiet autumn evening. While dining at a restaurant near her apartment, Caroline is approached by a man named Ron Deacon, with whom she shares the evening. Ron convinces Caroline to go home with him and then, in front of the door, Ron makes his way into the apartment raping the girl. Distraught, Caroline doesn't even seem to have the strength to ask for help, but in the end she decides to call her friend Brooke, who immediately rushes to Caroline and convinces her to move in with her, where she can feel safe. Brooke, together with her boyfriend Dave Reed who is a policeman, convince Caroline to report the incident, promising that, at least for the moment, they will avoid informing Bill and Ridge about what happened. After all, Brooke understands Caroline's state of mind, having been the victim a few months earlier of a rape attempt by some thugs who managed to get away with it. Fortunately this time, thanks to the many reports and testimonies gathered in the bar where Caroline and Ron had spent the evening, Dave, with the complicity of Storm and Detective Roy Banks, soon manages to track down the man, who is immediately arrested. When Bill learns about what happened to his daughter, he immediately runs to Caroline, promising that he will do everything in his power to obtain justice and make Ron pay for his sins. To that end, Bill contacts one of the best attorneys in Los Angeles, Jeff Talon, to make sure Ron never gets out of prison again. The outcome of the trial, however, seems far from certain. Ron Deacon, who, with the exception of a few minor priors, has a fairly clean record, hires a defense attorney, Robin West, who is convinced that he can argue the lack of evidence in their favor, as well as a series of heartfelt testimonies such as that of Florence Deacon, the defendant's mother, who swears to the goodness of her dear Ron. But it is on whether Caroline was consenting or not to the relationship that the main game is played. And from this point of view, in the end, it is the painful testimony of Ridge, who admits that he did not have sexual relations with Caroline because she had the conviction and the will to remain a virgin until marriage, that tips the scales towards Ron's conviction. And in the end, when Judge Madeline Collins declares Ron guilty, everyone breathes a sigh of relief and is happy that justice has been done.