Logan rapist gets 80 years

By Joseph A. Slobodzian, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Posted: June 07, 2011

A Logan man linked to several unsolved Philadelphia rape cases when his DNA matched samples in a law enforcement database was sentenced today to 40 to 80 years in prison by a Philadelphia judge.

"I think this sentence is sufficient to ensure that you do not get out," Common Pleas Court Judge Harold M. Kane told Otis Wilkerson, 39, before sentencing.

Wilkerson said nothing at sentencing. He had pleaded guilty to three rapes: the August 2002 rape of an 18-year-old woman; the March 2004 assault of a 23-year-old woman and the April 2005 rape of a 42-year old woman.

Assistant District Attorney Robert Foster said Wilkerson was also linked to DNA to the September 2005 rape of a 15-year-old that was dismissed because the victim would not cooperate with the prosecution.

Wilkerson's was one of several rape cases brought years after the actual crimes through the use of the Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS. In January 2006, Wilkerson's DNA taken from a recent arrest was sent to FBI for comparison with DNA samples cataloged from unsolved crimes; there was match between him and the four Philadelphia rapes, Foster said.

Contact Joseph A. Slobodzian at 215-854-2985 or jslobodzian@phillynews.com.

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