Jury Finds St. Cloud Man Guilty on One of Three Charges in Sexual Assault Trial

(KNSI) – A Stearns County jury has reached a verdict in the case of a 55-year-old St. Cloud man accused of raping and kidnapping a woman.

On Friday, jurors found Marquell Steven Goree guilty of first-degree criminal sexual conduct causing fear of great bodily harm. He was found not guilty of a second count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a dangerous weapon and not guilty of kidnapping.
Goree is scheduled to be sentenced on June 15th.

The verdict came after a week-long trial that began last Monday. The victim told officers she was held and sexually assaulted for five days in December 2025. She reported the assault to the police on January 30th, 2026. The victim told investigators she had agreed to clean Goree’s apartment in the 600 block of 6th Street South, a service she had performed before.

According to the criminal complaint, Goree began making unwanted advances once she arrived and told her to remove her clothes. When she refused and tried to leave, Goree allegedly pulled out an 8-inch switchblade knife, held it to her face, grabbed her by the throat, and told her she could not leave.

The victim said she feared for her life and was sexually assaulted multiple times during her captivity. She reported that Goree took her clothes, made her wear a blue bathrobe, escorted her to and from the bathroom, threatened to kill her, and kept knives near him at all times. She said she was eventually allowed to leave after telling Goree she had a probation appointment.

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