PHOENIX, AZ (May 1, 2012) – Wilyie Louis McCarty (D.O.B. 9/28/81) will spend 10 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections for three sexual assaults that took place in 1996 and 1997. He will remain on lifetime probation under sexual offender terms following his release. McCarty was indicted in March, 2011, after Cold Case Detectives with the Phoenix Police Department were able to use DNA evidence to link him to the crimes, which had remained unsolved for roughly 15 years. He pled guilty to one count of sexual assault, two counts of attempted sexual assault, one count of kidnapping and one count of attempted sexual conduct with a minor.
“Thanks to an effective national DNA database and improved scientific tools, we have been able to hold this defendant accountable for his actions despite the passage of time,” said Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery. “I expect DNA evidence will be an increasingly important factor in resolving other cold cases similar to this one and delivering justice that has been long delayed,” he added.
The first incident occurred on December 3rd, 1996 when a 16 year-old female was attacked and raped by an unknown male while she was walking home through a football field at South Mountain High School. The second incident occurred on March 11, 1997 and involved a 19 year-old victim who was physically assaulted and raped while she was on duty as a security guard at an apartment complex in Central Phoenix. In the third incident, on December 16, 1997, Police were called to McCarty’s mother’s home, where he was living at the time along with his 4 year-old step sister. His mother alleged that McCarty had sexual contact with his step sister, which he denied. McCarty was not arrested and there was no follow up investigation at the time.
DNA evidence collected at all three crime scenes was subsequently entered into the CODIS database after it became fully operational in 1998. In 2003, analysis revealed a link between the first two incidents, and in 2007 a match with McCarty was made using a DNA sample he later provided while serving time in prison on unrelated charges. When interviewed after the DNA match, McCarty denied any connection to the crimes. Phoenix Police then collected a confirmation sample and analyzed it along with the victim’s sex kit from the December 1997 incident. Results confirming McCarty’s link to all three crimes were not available until shortly after McCarty’s release from prison in November 2010.
Today, Judge Daniel Martin sentenced McCarty to two ten-year concurrent terms for the sexual assault and kidnapping charges, and lifetime probation on the two counts of attempted sexual assault and one count of attempted sexual conduct.
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