Court refuses rapist's appeal
May 31, 2007
Adapted from Phillyburbs.com
The state Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal of a man convicted of brutally kidnapping, beating, and raping two prostitutes. The man, 29, beat and threatened to kill the women, shaving one victim's head during the assault.
He is serving a 40- to 80-year state prison sentence. In handing down the sentence, the county judge called the man “sick and twisted and cruel and evil and cold.”
In February 2005, a jury convicted him of rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, kidnapping, sexual assault, terroristic threats, false imprisonment, and simple assault. He appealed, claiming the sentence was excessive.
In a one-sentence order released recently, the Supreme Court said it would not allow his appeal to proceed. The first assistant district attorney said he was pleased with the ruling.
“When [the judge] gave [the man] that sentence, he took into consideration not just the effect of the crime on the victims, but also the danger [the man] poses to the community. This man is very dangerous and we are relieved that he'll be off the streets for a very long time,” the attorney said.
The crime occurred in January 2004. The victims told the jury the man picked them up and drove them around.
One woman testified that the man burned her with cigarettes while forcing her to perform a sex act as he drove, then threw her, naked, into the trunk of his car. He later pulled her out of the trunk and left her. She flagged down a passing motorist for help.
The second victim told the jury that the man raped her in his bedroom and repeatedly threatened to kill her. During the act, he shaved patches of hair from her head with an electric razor. |
