Rockdale Citizen

Travis Rabon

CONYERS -- Travis Santell Rabon took the witness stand Monday during his trial where he is accused of raping and murdering one woman and raping another in his Conyers apartment in 2008.

Closing arguments are planned for this morning before the jury gets the case. Rabon is charged in the rape and strangulation death of Keria Rachell Avant and the rape of Kennesha Lynn Simmons.

According to Rockdale County prosecutors, Rabon called the women to the apartment that day to have three-way sex which ended violently.

Rabon, 24, told the jury that the women came to his apartment on Dec. 28, 2008, in an effort to take money from him. The injuries sustained by Simmons came from self-defense when Rabon grabbed his gun from her and struck her several times in the head, he said.

However, Rabon could not explain how Avant died. She was found dead on the bedroom floor and strangled from a cord. Testimony Monday revealed the cord was an academic award from the graduation robe in the closet of Rabon's fiance at the time.

Rabon's appearance on the witness stand followed week-long testimony from investigators, witnesses, Simmons and Rabon's fiancee that wove a story of sex, drugs and money.

Rabon's court testimony was also inconsistent from what he told investigators a day after he was arrested. Rabon admitted he had lied to investigators.

Rabon said he had dropped off his fiance at work that day and came back home to prepare for what he called a special day. Rabon said it was his fiance's birthday and he was going to give her a ring to complete their engagement.

Rabon said during questioning by defense attorney Michael Waldrop that he called Avant to talk and she mentioned she needed money. Eventually, Avant arrived to the apartment with three other women. Avant went inside to visit and again asked for money.

"I kept telling her I had no money for her," he said. Rabon told the jury that he offered to give Avant 25 ounces of marijuana he had for her to sell for money. Then, Rabon recounted that Avant told him, "I know how to get the money out of you," and began making sexual advances on Rabon.

Rabon continued in his testimony that Simmons appeared after Avant and Rabon were in the bedroom and soon he had sex with both women.

Rabon said the fight began when he realized Simmons had his gun pointed at his head as he was in the bed with Avant. He told the jury he slapped the gun out of Simmons' hand, elbowed Avant as she got up. He fought Simmons in the bedroom until Rockdale County Sheriff's Office deputies arrived at the scene.

Rabon said he believes the investigators forced the charges on him and did not offer him a chance to explain. He said he panicked in admitting he lied to investigators that day.

"Did you answer some of their questions truthfully," Waldrop asked.

"Some I did, some I did not," Rabon replied.

"I went from working on my GED, which I did the pretest and all had to do was to take the regular test to now where I'm facing charges that could put me in prison for the rest of my life," Rabon said.

Rockdale County District Attorney Richard Read questioned Rabon's version of the story during cross examination.

Rabon said in past testimony that Avant was a close friend who he never had romantic or sexual relations with. Read recalled Rabon said in court Monday that as the deputies knocked on the door, he went into the bedroom, saw Avant unconscious on the floor as he went about getting rid of almost a pound of marijuana he had in the closet.

"Keira was so special to you that you ran right past her, laying on your bedroom floor, not moving and did nothing to help her," Read said.

"You didn't lean down to see if she was okay?" Read asked.

"That's correct," Rabon answered.

"You didn't take the rope off her neck?" Read followed up.

"I didn't put it on there in the first place," Rabon said. "I had nothing to do with that."