OCEANA COUNTY, MI – A groomsman was acquitted of raping the maid of honor following a wedding they both were in by jurors who determined they had consensual sex.

It took jurors less than an hour to return the verdict Thursday, Feb. 21, in Oceana County Circuit Court. Defense attorney Terry Nolan said he believes the woman lodged the complaint against Mark Steven Langston II of Muskegon because he’s African-American.

“I believe this was a black/white thing,” Nolan said. “I really do.”

Langston, 32, was charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct, and could have faced more than 22 years in prison, Nolan said. The jury could have found him guilty of third-degree CSC by either force/coercion or by taking advantage of an incapacitated person.

Instead, the all-white jury found him not guilty.

Oceana County Prosecutor Joseph Bizon refuted Nolan’s assertion that the woman’s complaint was racially-motivated.

“That is contrary to evidence presented at trial which indicated the defendant had been friends with this entire group for years and had never had any issue with any members of the group before this incident,” Bizon said.

The prosecution presented a “solid case, the best case possible, based on the evidence," he said. While Bizon said the case showed “the system works as it should,” he also said it provided a lesson.

“As a culture and society we still have a lot to learn about how to treat and approach victims of crime,” he said.

Langston was the only African-American member of the wedding party and had been long-time close friends with the groom, Nolan said. The wedding occurred in New Era on June 23, 2018, Nolan said.

The bride and groom had rented a home near Silver Lake for the wedding party to stay, he said. Langston and the 32-year-old maid of honor, who is the bride’s sister, ended up in bed together in the same room where a bridesmaid also was sleeping, he said.

“His defense was consent – that this was consensual sex with essentially buyer’s remorse in the morning,” Nolan said.

Nolan said the couple were discovered by the other bridesmaid when she woke up. The groom then ordered Langston out of the house, but he refused to leave, saying their encounter was consensual, Nolan said. The Oceana County Sheriff’s office then was called.

The jury returned its verdict after a 1 ½-day trial.