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Posted on Fri, May 10, 2013 : 4:55 p.m.

Man convicted in brutal rape will serve up to 90 years in prison

By John Counts

dajuanroberts.jpg

Dajuan Roberts

Courtesy of the WCSO

A 25-year-old Ypsilanti Township man found guilty by a jury of brutally assaulting and raping his girlfriend will spend up to 90 years in prison.

Dajuan Roberts was sentenced Friday in the Washtenaw County Trial Court to 50 to 90 years in prison, according to Sgt. Geoffrey Fox of the sheriff's office.

Roberts was found guilty in April of three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, two counts of assault with intent to do great bodily harm and assault with a dangerous weapon, domestic violence and assaulting, resisting or obstructing police. He was acquitted on one charge of assault with intent to murder and one charge of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.

A jury convicted Roberts on the nine counts after a four-day trial.

Roberts assaulted and raped his girlfriend on March 21, 2012, at a residence in the 500 block of Emerick Street in Ypsilanti Township. Police said Roberts and the woman were arguing about their sexual relationship when Roberts struck the woman multiple times in the face and choked her to the point she almost blacked out.

The assault lasted for several hours. Roberts forced himself on the woman and even "branded" his initials on her with a hot wire hanger, police said.

Roberts continued to assault and choke the woman until someone else in the home called 911, according to police.

State records show Roberts was previously convicted of domestic violence in 2010 and pleaded no contest to two counts of assaulting and resisting or obstructing a police officer in 2011.

John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.

Comments

Paul

Sat, May 11, 2013 : 6:13 p.m.

The courts are soft on crime, ha ha ha.

Larry1568

Tue, May 14, 2013 : 12:07 a.m.

Michigan Needs The Death Penalty So So Bad The Only Way We Can Get Are Jail From Being Over Packed

chefsgirl

Sat, May 11, 2013 : 4:51 p.m.

May I get clarification. The article reads, "Roberts continued to assault and choke the woman until someone else in the home called 911." . . . so the victim was being brutalized while others were in the home and EVENTUALLY phoned 911. Am I reading this correctly?

ezbngreen

Sat, May 11, 2013 : 2:05 p.m.

There's a sad sort of clanging from the clock in the hall And the bells in the steeple too And up in the nursery an absurd little bird Is popping out to say, "Cuckoo" Regretfully they tell us but firmly they compel us To say goodbye to you

Sue

Sun, May 12, 2013 : 4:14 a.m.

The Sound Of Music!

Linda Peck

Fri, May 10, 2013 : 9:13 p.m.

The sentence is appropriate.

Matt Cooper

Sat, May 11, 2013 : 8:24 p.m.

Thank God sentencing guidelines don't call for factoring 'what-if's'.

Paul

Sat, May 11, 2013 : 6:16 p.m.

Yeah, and what if he had killed her ?

zucker

Fri, May 10, 2013 : 9:08 p.m.

this is just disgusting. 90 years? Too bad we don't have a death penalty in this state. although he wont survive that sentence, its too bad our tax paying citizens will house this animal for even one minute.

Paul

Sat, May 11, 2013 : 6:22 p.m.

The USA does not kill rapist. Many other countries do not kill any of their people no matter the crime. Maybe one day the USA will join the modern world. There is too much hate and the death penalty just helps create more hate. OK now rapist should be killed--who will be next ? Guess assaults would be next in line.

BHarding

Sat, May 11, 2013 : 2:14 a.m.

Look it up. The death penalty costs much more than housing a prisoner for life.