Defense lawyer told DNA links Raynard Coleman to Detroit rapes/UPDATE: Serial Rapist Raynard Coleman Sentenced To Minimum Of 35 Years.

By DAVID RUNK, Associated Press David Runk, Associated Press – Sun Jan 23, 9:13 pm ET

DETROIT – A lawyer for a 31-year-old man arrested in a string of rapes that terrorized Detroit said Sunday that investigators have told him they have DNA evidence linking his client to the attacks.

Charges are expected Monday, said defense lawyer James Galen Jr. He said he also was told his client was picked out of a lineup, but he wasn't certain who identified him.

Galen says his client told investigators he wasn't involved in the assaults. He said he had met twice with the man since his arrest last week and that they haven't discussed specifics of the case. He also met Saturday with 10 of the man's family members and a pastor, and they prayed together.

"The family feels empathy, sympathy and concern for the victims and are confused and baffled about the allegations that have been made against their loved one," he said.

The man's name hasn't been released, pending formal charges. Detroit police declined to comment Sunday on the case. A news conference with police and prosecutors was scheduled for Monday, but it was unclear whether that would happen as planned after a shooting Sunday that wounded four officers at a police precinct.

Police said the string of attacks includes seven sexual assaults and one attempted rape. The rapist targeted women standing alone at bus stops or walking by themselves between early evening and early morning hours, police said. One woman was assaulted when she got out of her car after it was bumped from behind by a vehicle driven by her attacker.

In attacks that began Jan. 1, all within five miles of downtown Detroit, victims were forced at gunpoint to secluded areas where they were robbed and raped. An eighth woman was able to get away.

Composite drawings of the man were distributed by community activists to people living in and around the areas where the women were raped. Police had been using DNA evidence to locate a suspect.

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A man charged with kidnapping and raping five women in Detroit since New Year's Day has been arraigned via video from a police lockup.

Not guilty pleas were entered on behalf of Raynard Coleman. The 31-year-old was silent during the brief hearing Monday in Detroit's 36th District Court.

Coleman is charged in five of seven rapes reported since Jan. 1 on the city's east and northeast sides. He also is charged with kidnapping and attempted rape in a related attack.

Coleman was paroled from prison in 2009 after serving sentences for attempted murder and other crimes. His attorney, James Galen Jr., says Coleman is innocent until proven guilty but fears that prison may have turned him into a "monster."

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The 31-year-old man accused of raping seven women and attacking an eighth was due to complete conditions of his parole on Friday, according to his attorney.
Raynard Deshawn Coleman is jailed pending a Feb. 4 preliminary hearing on sexual assault, kidnapping and armed robbery charges. His attorney, James Galen Jr. entered a mute plea on Coleman's behalf.
But his family believes Coleman isn't violent and has never shown any animosity towards women.
"I know he's not that type of person," said his father, Raynard Custard, 49, of Bloomington, Ill. "He's always had girlfriends."
Police paint a different picture. They describe Coleman as a monster who preyed on young women who were walking alone. In one case, he is accused of bumping a woman's car and then sexually assaulting her when she got out to examine the damage to her vehicle.
"This is a horrendous crime; probably one of the more vile crimes that can be perpetrated against someone," Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee said.
Coleman, who has spent nearly half his life behind bars prior to his arraignment today, could face up to life in prison if convicted.
He appeared in the courtroom via video conferencing. He stood silently, dressed in dark prison garb and a white T-shirt. His expression remained passive the whole time.
Godbee said earlier today the charges against Coleman stem from six of the eight cases. Police have obtained warrants for five of the sexual assaults and one attempted assault. The sexual assaults took place on Detroit's east side from Jan. 1-14.
"We have been very confident that this day would arrive," Godbee said.
Police arrested Coleman Wednesday outside his home on Lansdowne Street, not far from where the rapes occurred.
"He's facing multiple life offenses if convicted," said Jerry Dorsey, deputy chief at the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.
Coleman was picked out of a lineup by each of the rape victims, Galen Jr. said.
Galen said investigators also told him they have DNA evidence linking his client to the attacks. In addition to the DNA taken by the Michigan Department of Corrections while the suspect was in prison, Detroit Police forensic investigators collected a second sample Thursday, Galen said.
Coleman was less than two months past his 15th birthday when he was arrested on Aug. 3, 1994. He was later convicted of assault with intent to commit murder, among other charges, and sentenced to 10 to 20 years. He was released in January 2009 after serving 14 years.
Montia Tyus, who lives with Coleman, said he resembled one of the composite sketches released by police, and that he often would disappear at night with no explanation, although she expressed surprise that the man she described as her ex-boyfriend was being questioned about the assaults.
"I can't believe he did it — if he did it," Tyus said hours after his arrest Wednesday.
Galen said Coleman was put in a police lineup the day after his arrest.
"It's my understanding, after talking to investigators, that he was picked out by seven different individuals as the perpetrator," Galen said.
Police interrogated Coleman, but he invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, Galen said.
Since the arrest, police have taken Coleman to the hospital twice to be treated for injuries he sustained in a traffic accident nine months ago, Galen said.
Galen said he hasn't been given access to his client's medical records, but questions whether Coleman is physically able to kidnap and assault someone. He described his client as being distant and possibly affected by painkillers and anti-inflammatory medication Coleman takes for back pain stemming from the crash.
"That is something I have to be concerned about," Galen said.
Galen said sexual assault is an unforgivable act. He said if it turns out his client is guilty that he would question how much of a role putting a teenager in an adult prison played in his actions.
"You put him in the belly of the beast and you might create a monster," he said.
Godbee praised people who passed on tips in the case to police and to the Detroit 300, a community group that patrolled the area where the rapes were reported.
"This was a collaborative effort," Godbee said of police work and community involvement. "It was a tedious investigation. It took a lot of sweat equity."

From The Detroit News: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

October 16, 2011
 
Raynard Coleman, 32, the man who held the northeast side hostage for the first two weeks of 2011. was sentenced Friday and won’t see the light of day until he is eligible for social security.

Coleman’s reign of terror began on New Year’s Day, and before it was over impacted everything from DDOT bus routes to the routines of women in the affected area. Coleman preyed on women after dark as they walked alone or waited at a bus shelter, forcing them into vacant houses and raping them.

The DPD, armed with eyewitness testimony and DNA test results, arrested Coleman on January 19. He was arraigned January 24 on thirty counts arising from sexual assaults on six women and attempted assault on another.

Charges included first degree Criminal Sexual Conduct (CSC-1), kid-napping, armed robbery, and firearms violations.



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