Man convicted of raping woman at Denver airport

Jurors in Denver have convicted a former U.S. Marine embassy guard of sexually assaulting a woman at a Denver International Airport concourse in April.

Our sister station in Denver, KMGH, reports that jurors on Monday found 27-year-old Noel Bertrand, of Portland, Ore., guilty of felony sexual assault, which carries a penalty of up to life in prison.

His lawyer had argued that that the woman had consensual sex with Bertrand then regretted it.

She testified that after having drinks, the two moved to an airport concourse where he attacked her after she refused a kiss. She told jurors she didn’t scream because she was being choked. Two airline mechanics intervened when they saw her struggling.

Bertrand served on Marine security details at U.S. embassies in Dublin, Ireland; Caracas, Venezuela; and Doha, Qatar.