Mpls. Man Pleads Guilty, Sentenced In 1996 Rape Case
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Minneapolis man has pleaded guilty to the 1996 rape of an 82-year-old woman after advances in DNA technology linked him to the crime, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office announced.
In court Thursday, Keith Quinton Hayes, now 38, pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal sexual conduct and was immediately sentenced to 117 months – nearly ten years – in prison.
On the evening of Nov. 9, 1996, the 82-year-old victim was walking her dog near Aldrich Avenue North when Haynes approached her from behind and knocked her down between two garages. He then raped her after she told him she had no money.
It was not until 2011 that a DNA profile was successfully developed from a vaginal swab. It then took until 2013 to match Haynes through the National DNA Index System. Haynes was arrested in Milwaukee that year.
During a pretrial hearing, Haynes' attorney argued that the victim's statements to the nurse in the hospital should be excluded from any trial as hearsay. But prosecutors successfully argued that it should be allowed because the victim's statements were made for the purposes of her medical diagnosis and treatment. The judge agreed, saying it was important because the victim died in 2008 at the age of 94.
"This was a particularly brutal crime and for many years it looked like it might not be solved," Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said. "But the improving DNA technology allowed us to reach back in time and, with some excellent legal arguments by our prosecutor, we were able to get this conviction. We hope it will bring some peace to the family."
Haynes apologized to the victim's family in court Thursday.
