NEWS
Man pleads no contest in UW rapes
Looking for a print version?
Simply choose ‘Print’ on your computer and a printer-friendly document will be generated.
Also by Courtney Johnson:
- Construction pops up on State Street this spring (November 6, 2007)
- Woods ahead in fundraising race (March 28, 2007)
- E-mail sparks privacy concern (October 9, 2007)
- Big Ten Network reaches deal with UW housing (August 31, 2007)
- City agency to run Halloween entertainment (May 10, 2007)
Related Stories:
- 'Mall rapist' gets 195-year sentence (November 12, 2004)
- Sexual assault sends Milwaukee man to jail for 1 year (January 26, 2004)
- Police nab campus rape suspect (January 19, 2007)
- Ex-Overture director pleads not guilty (November 2, 2007)
- Sexual assault suspects face life in prison (September 21, 2006)
by Courtney Johnson
Monday, November 19, 2007
A Dane County man was found guilty Friday of abducting and
raping two female University of Wisconsin students in late 2006.
Antonio Pope, 31, pled no contest to two counts of
kidnapping and two counts of first-degree sexual assault. He faces a sentence
of up to 224 years in prison as a result of the charges — up to 46 years per
kidnapping conviction and 66 years per sexual assault conviction.
Pope was originally arrested Dec. 15 of last year. According
to court documents, after police confronted him with DNA evidence, Pope
admitted to abducting and assaulting one UW student Nov. 29 as she was walking
home on the 1500 block of Observatory Drive. He also admitted to abducting and
assaulting another UW student Dec. 9 when she was walking home on the 500 block
of North Carroll Street while talking on her cell phone.
Victims told Madison police Pope abducted them at knifepoint
and threatened to kill them if they turned to look at his face. He then took
the victims to his car, bound their hands and drove them to his Fitchburg
apartment and assaulted them. He then returned the victims to the area where he
originally abducted them.
Although Pope pled no contest to his charges, he wrote a
letter last week to Dane County Circuit Court Judge John Markson, claiming he
had no memory of committing the crimes because he was high on ecstasy. Pope has
a history of drug-related problems, and was previously found guilty of
possession of cocaine and THC in 1998 and again in 2005.
Pope claimed earlier this year he was not competent to stand
trial. However, following examination at the Mendota Mental Health Institute,
Markson found Pope competent in July.
— The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Add a comment
We welcome your thoughts, but please keep your feedback thoughtful, on-topic and respectful. Offensive language, personal attacks, or irrelevant comments may be deleted.
Login...
Not registered? Sign up now.
It's quick, free, and the email address you provide will not be sold or solicited.
