The Case of Ricardo Antonio Crews: Rapist Sentenced in Lynchburg Court

From the Lynchburg's Prosecutors office:

On August 12, 2005, Judge Mosby G. Perrow, III, of the Lynchburg Circuit Court, imposed a Lynchburg jury's verdict and sentenced Ricardo Antonio Crews to a combined sentence of 50 years and 1 month for the rape, abduction and attempted robbery of a then 20 year old woman in the woman’s apartment on Tunbridge Road. The conviction and sentence resulted from the prosecution efforts of Chief Deputy Michael Doucette.

The crime occurred on October 5, 1999. The victim was unable to identify her attacker. A forensic nurse examiner was able to gather sperm evidence from the victim and this evidence was sent to the State Lab in Roanoke for DNA analysis. The case was inactive for two years due to a lack of suspects. In February 2002, the State Lab was able to make a DNA “cold hit” on Crews DNA, which had just been added to the DNA databank due to an unrelated felony conviction in 2001.

Despite the fact that the original DNA evidence had been discarded, Doucette was able to build a case against Crews and a Lynchburg jury convicted him of rape and related crimes in June of this year. Crews was 19 at the time of the offense. He will have to serve 85% of the 50 year sentence before he is eligible for release from prison.