Stranger who snatched Kettering woman from street 9 years ago convicted of rape

Nearly nine years after she was kidnapped and raped in a pickup truck after walking a Kettering street in search of ice cream, an Ohio woman saw her assailant convicted.

A Montgomery County Common Pleas Court jury found Ted A. Mullins guilty of kidnapping and three counts of rape for a June 2009 incident attack against a now-33-year-old woman, who gasped as the verdicts were being read.

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Mullins, 47, will remain incarcerated before his sentencing scheduled for March 9.

“We are very relieved and satisfied and happy with the verdicts today,” Montgomery County assistant prosecutor Kelly Madzey said. “The victim in the case had waited a long time, I think, for that door to be closed in her past. And I think this will go a long way in healing a wound that has been open for a long time for her.”

Madzey said she prosecuted another case that resulted in a conviction for rape 13 years after a 1998 home invasion, robbery and rape. The rape kit was tested as part of the state’s push to search for closure in cases.

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Madzey said Mullins’ case wasn’t tied to that effort, but that the defendant’s DNA was recorded because he appeared in front of a judge due to a different felony arrest.

After telling Judge Dennis Langer at noon that it couldn’t reach a verdict — and told to go back into deliberations — the jury worked through lunch and reached its verdict at about 1:30 p.m. The jury had the case at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday and went home at 9 p.m. before starting again at 9 a.m. Friday.

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“I think they certainly seemed to give it their attention,” defense attorney Carl Goraleski said. “I can’t fault them for that.”

Goraleski said the decision would be appealed.

“I’m extremely disappointed in the verdict,” he said. “It was a horrible crime, a terrible crime, the kind of crime that calls out for someone to be convicted. I just don’t think it was Ted.”

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The victim, supported by a victim advocate, was in the courtroom as the verdicts were read. Madzey later hugged the victim, who is not being named by this news organization.

Added Madzey: “I think she’s very relieved to know that this door will now close.”

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