Man convicted in 1995 rape of Penn State senior in State College. ‘A day of relief for her’
A man was convicted Thursday in the 1995 rape of a Penn State senior the night before she was set to graduate, a case that saw investigators use an unusual tactic to keep it alive long after the normal legal deadline would have expired.
Scott R. Williams, 52, of Mifflin County, was found guilty by Centre County Judge Brian Marshall of rape and aggravated assault after a rare stipulated bench trial. Three charges were dropped.
The woman declined comment after the brief trial, but it was apparent the verdict carried significant meaning. She turned toward Centre County First Assistant District Attorney Sean McGraw and gave him an emphatic hug as tears welled in her eyes.
It was a moment nearly 30 years in the making.
“It took a tremendous level of endurance and courage for the victim to come to every court proceeding after all these years,” McGraw said. “Today represents a day of relief for her and much-needed closure after almost three decades of this being an open question for her.”
It’s unclear if Williams plans an appeal. Defense lawyer Barbara Zemlock declined comment.
He’s facing at least 7 1/2 years in state prison. Centre County prosecutors plan to ask Marshall to sentence him to 11 1/2 to 23 years.
State College police tucked away sexual assault kit samples from the May 1995 attack along South Pugh Street in the hope that budding science would one day lead to a match.
Investigators never identified a suspect at the time, but former borough police detective Tom Jordan authored a John Doe arrest warrant against the anonymous DNA in March 2000, about two months before the statute of limitations was to run out.
It was the first time a warrant of that kind was filed in Pennsylvania, McGraw said.
Williams was linked through family DNA, similar to the way charges were brought against the Golden State Killer in California. Centre County prosecutors have filed at least two other cases that used genetic genealogy.
Borough police detectives, including Stephen Bosak, zeroed in on Williams once they retrieved utensils discarded by a family member at a high school football banquet. They also rummaged through his trash and found bottles that contained his saliva.
DNA collected from those bottles matched the DNA from the rape kits. Jordan, Bosak and other longtime borough police detectives shook hands after Marshall read his verdict.
“This wasn’t done by one person. This was a team effort,” Jordan said. “... We gave it our best effort. That’s all we promise these victims when we’re assigned these cases. I’m hoping she saw that today.”
McGraw said the verdict was the culmination of the “most dedicated, capable and creative police work” he’s seen in his career that spans more than 25 years.
“This is undoubtedly the finest detective work I’ve ever seen in my career,” McGraw said.
The attack, McGraw said during an October 2021 press conference to announce Williams’ arrest, was “one of the most — if not the most — violent episodes” he’d seen.
Passersby found the woman bloodied and disrobed from the waist down. She was treated for multiple head injuries, some of which were so severe she suffered minor brain damage. At least three metal plates were implanted in her face.
Williams spoke with investigators after his arrest, telling them he would go to State College bars about every other weekend. He repeatedly told police he did not “remember doing any of this.”
“I’ve told you 10, 12 times, I do not remember this. ... Maybe I was blackout drunk. I don’t know,” Williams said. “I don’t remember this. ... If I did, I’m telling you, I would tell you. This is not, excuse me, this is not me.”
His defense lawyers sought to have evidence and the John Doe warrant tossed, but were turned away in a crucial pre-trial ruling from Marshall that spanned 38 pages.
Invalidating the warrant, Marshall wrote, would be “placing form over substance.” Williams, who posted bail in December 2021, is scheduled to be sentenced March 25.
“It’s the importance of perseverance, of keeping with a case over the years. You never know what changing technology will make available in terms of solving a case that is old,” McGraw said of the lessons learned from the case. “We saw that here with the genetic genealogy. It’s a tremendous tool in the hands of detectives for solving old cases.”
This story was originally published February 8, 2024 at 11:51 AM.