Suspected serial rapist sentenced to prison
A suspected serial rapist must spend at least 25 years in prison for raping two women at gunpoint.
Claude King Jr., 29, pleaded guilty in October to the rapes. He also pleaded guilty to robbing one of the rape victims and attempting to rob the other. Additionally, he pleaded guilty to robbing two other women, whom he did not rape.
Common Pleas Judge Thomas H. Kelley VI sentenced King to 25 years minus three months to 50 years minus six months in state prison.
During his sentencing hearing Friday morning in York County Court, King read a statement he'd written expressing his remorse, according to defense attorney Clasina Mahoney, who read the statement to The York Dispatch.
"I'm sorry for turning your world upside down," he said to his victims. "I'm sorry for all the pain I caused ... all the pain I inflicted on you mentally and physically."
King told his victims they shouldn't have to live in fear, and that he understands his apology won't fix what he did to them, Mahoney said.
'Simply wrong': King said he is sorry not because he will be incarcerated for decades, but "because what I did was simply wrong," according to Mahoney.
"Now I must live with those decisions I made for the rest of my life, which is something I have come to terms with," King said in court. "This has opened my eyes toward a pattern of past crimes I committed, and being in and out of jails and institutions for about 13 years of my life, and for the lifestyle I lived. I'm glad to say it is finally over."
Mahoney said she believes King is truly remorseful. She said he has a long history of drug and alcohol abuse, as well as a history of being abused as a child.
Senior deputy prosecutor Jennifer Russell did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment, but she previously said she believes King is a serial rapist.
The background: King beat and raped two women at gunpoint. The first incident happened about 10 p.m. Feb. 28, 2010, in the 600 block of West Clarke Avenue; the second happened behind the 600 block of Company Street on March 24, York City Police said.
King threatened to kill the women, according to police, who said he did not know either woman.
York City Police Chief Wes Kahley has called King a very dangerous person and said his department put together a team of officers and detectives to proactively hunt him down. King was arrested April 14.
During King's arrest, officers recovered BB guns that look like real guns, which King used during the crimes, police said.
In all, King pleaded guilty to two counts each of rape and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, three counts of robbery and one count of attempted robbery.
-- Reach Elizabeth Evans at levans@yorkdispatch.com, 505-5429 or twitter.com/ydcrimetime.
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