Two more women testify about Rodhouse’s sexual encounters, as well as physical, emotional abuse of his wife

PITTSFIELD, Ill. — Two more women testified Thursday morning about Austin Rodhouse’s sexual encounters and the physical and emotional abuse heaped upon his wife during the eighth day of his trial in Pike County Circuit Court.

In all, eight women who were either allegedly assaulted by Rodhouse or were in the family home in Pleasant Hill to witness the abuse of his wife, identified in court documents as “CC,” testified before the eight-woman, four-man jury.

Closing arguments are expected to begin at 9 a.m. Friday before Judge Charles H.W. Burch.

Rodhouse, who turns 31 next week, is being tried on 19 domestic violence and sex-related felonies.

• 3 counts of aggravated domestic battery, a Class 2 felony with a sentencing range of between three and seven years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. 
• 1 count of criminal sexual assault involving force, a Class 1 felony with a sentencing range of between four and 15 years in prison.
• 4 counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child, a Class X felony with a sentencing range of six to 60 years in prison.
• 3 counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, a Class X felony with a sentencing range of six to 30 years in prison.
• 2 counts of child pornography, a Class X felony with a sentencing range of six to 30 years in prison.
• 3 counts of indecent solicitation of an adult, a Class 2 felony with a sentencing range of three to seven years in prison.
• 3 counts of aggravated battery to a child, a Class 3 felony with a sentencing range of two to five years in prison.

Rodhouse, a Pleasant Hill native, has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Women says Rodhouse claimed he was single and divorced when they first met

An Adams County woman, referred to here as JaneDoe7, testified that she met Rodhouse in January through Tinder, an online dating app. She said Rodhouse told her on their first date at Applebee’s in Quincy that his relationship status was that of a single dad, divorced and with custody of his two sons.

“He described (CC) as a bad mother, that she was barely around the boys and that he had to pay her to babysit and watch the boys while he worked,” JaneDoe7 said.

JaneDoe7 and Rodhouse had sex on their second date, and she claims Rodhouse choked her.

“It was very uncomfortable, because I never felt pressure when I had it done before by previous partners,” she said. “When I freaked out and grabbed a hold of his hand, he whispered in my ear that it’s OK because most girls like when he chokes them until they pass out. It gives them a thrill.”

Rodhouse quickly asked for her to quit her job and move with her son into his Pleasant Hill home. She moved there in February (but kept her job) and quickly learned what Rodhouse said about his wife wasn’t true because “(CC) knew where everything was in the kitchen.” He also wanted JaneDoe7 to participate in threesomes with his wife because “she needed to feel included.”

Rodhouse used tweezers, speculum to remove woman’s IUD

JaneDoe7 was open to the idea of a BDSM relationship with Rodhouse as long as everything was consensual. However, that didn’t last long.

“My boundaries were not respected,” she said. “My opinion did not matter.”

JaneDoe7 described Rodhouse’s controlling behavior, including demands for daily nude photos, daily sex and specific attire. She recounted his physical and emotional abuse towards CC, including threats and physical punishments. 

“(CC had to ask permission for) what she could eat, what she could wear, if she could go to the restroom, whether she could shower, whether she could sit down,” JaneDoe7 said.

She detailed instances when CC made meals for Rodhouse, only for him to throw the plate on the floor and throw food in her face. In one instance, he made CC — wearing a sports bra and crotchless panties — go outside to sleep when the temperature was 37 degrees. She also remembered Rodhouse researching on Google for how to make homemade pepper spray.

“The next thing I observed was that (CC) screamed, and then I saw him guiding her back into the living room, walking her to the bathroom,” JaneDoe7 said. “Her hands were on her eyes. Her eyes were closed, and she was trying to feel for where she was going. He was guiding her to the restroom.”

She said Rodhouse would become angry quickly. She recalled when Rodhouse sent 50 photos of women in various sexual poses to her and CC, and he wanted them to replicate those poses and take photos. CC was to receive one lashing for every photo they failed to replicate.

“We couldn’t get all the photos taken because I fell asleep,” JaneDoe7 said.

She also said Rodhouse wanted her to remove an intrauterine device (IUD) so she could get pregnant. When she said her gynecologist was always “booked up,” Rodhouse used a speculum and tweezers to remove the IUD himself.

“I felt like anything that I would do for him was always wrong,” JaneDoe7 said. “It was never going to be good enough to satisfy his needs. … I was hiding and crying every night.”

During cross-examination, defense attorney Casey Schnack noted that Rodhouse didn’t prevent JaneDoe7 from leaving the home in April and that Rodhouse didn’t restrain her when he removed her IUD.

Another woman details spending nights in Rodhouse home

Another woman, referred to here as JaneDoe8, testified she and her child spent three nights in the Rodhouse’s Pleasant Hill home in February. She learned during the second overnight visit about the family’s “no pants” rule.

On the third overnight visit, JaneDoe8 said she was taking a bath when CC entered the bathroom and whispered to her that Rodhouse instructed CC to take a bath with her and perform sexual acts with her.

“Were you OK with that?” Assistant State’s Attorney Leecia Carnes asked.

“No, and she knew that,” JaneDoe8 said.

Later that evening, the Rodhouses were in bed with JaneDoe8 when she said Rodhouse told CC to grab her breast and her butt. JaneDoe8 got out of bed and went to the couch, but Rodhouse convinced her to return to bed. However, she grabbed her stuff and her child and left the home 20 minutes later.

At the end of a brief cross-examination, Schnack asked JaneDoe8, “If you had one bullet and you had to choose between yourself and one of your children …”

Carnes quickly objected. Schnack didn’t complete her question.

Trauma surgeon says CC had ‘look of impending doom’

Dr. Pierre Charles, a trauma surgeon at Blessing Hospital, testified that he performed surgery on Rodhouse’s wife’s ruptured spleen on May 8. He said her vital signs were stable, but she had “the look of impending doom.” He originally didn’t believe surgery was necessary but received a 1 a.m. phone call and decided to do exploratory surgery at 7 a.m.

He called the injury an “old injury” in that it happened within three to five days of first seeing CC at the hospital. Charles said he discovered between one and two liters of blood in CC’s abdomen. On a scale of 1-5, Charles rated the injury as a 3, meaning it might have been managed without surgery. He said he also noticed internal bruising on the right side of CC’s abdomen.

Charles said elderly people can rupture their spleen from a fall in the bathtub, which was the explanation given by CC and Rodhouse for the injury.

“But in young people, it takes a lot of force,” he said. “I’ve taken care of (spleen) injuries in athletes, but they usually got kicked or helmeted like football players or soccer players.”

CC’s older sister also testified. When Pike County State’s Attorney Walker Filbert asked if her parents had abused her or her younger sister, she said, “Absolutely not.” She talked about visiting CC in her home in January 2024. She said CC was timid and quiet, and her eyes appeared swollen from crying. 

Afterward, she said she maintained contact through Rodhouse’s work phone but questioned if it was CC sending the messages. She said she became concerned again when she received photos of other children in the Rodhouse home as well as pictures of turkeys and chickens in the home.