49-Year-old Scott R. Williams was arrested on October 5, 2021, for the May 13, 1995 rape, robbery and aggravated assault of a 22-year-old Penn State Student in State College, Pennsylvania.
The victim was found in the middle of the street, covered in blood and naked from the waist down. She had been hit from behind while walking home and was dragged into a flower bed where she was raped and brutally beaten. She was air-lifted to Geisinger Medical Center to be treated for fractures to her face, skull, and jaw that she received from being brutally beaten by her attacker. She required 4 metal plates in her skull.
A DNA profile of the perpetrator was obtained from semen, and a DNA Doe warrant was issued for his arrest on March 29, 2000 in order to prevent the statute of limitation from barring the charges after 5 years – one of the only such warrants issued in the Eastern United States.
The FGG investigation was performed by Parabon Nanolabs, who also performed a forensic phenotyping analysis. They located a close relative of the perpetrator, Wanda K. Williams, who was identified as the mother of the perpetrator. Wanda had three sons, Scott, Mark, and Rishell. Police then attempted to surreptitiously sample William’s DNA at a high school football banquet. Since he did not eat or drink, police sampled his son’s DNA instead, and determined that he was the son of the suspect. Police then tested spit tobacco items that Williams had discarded in his trash.
The charges against Williams are proceeding in the Center County Court of Common Pleas. He was released on December 14, 2021, after the court reduced his bond from $500,000 USD to $100,000 UDS.
On January 12, 2023, a pre-trial hearing was held, with conflicting testimony from both sides regarding the DNA evidence. The defense is also attempting to have the affidavit dismissed, due to the questions surrounding the DNA evidence.
Sources:
Court of Common Pleas of Center County Pennsylvania. In re Arrest and Search Warrants for State College Police Incident #3295-06697. October 5, 2021. Accessed October 8, 2021. https://lawandcrime.com/crime/pennsylvania-man-arrested-after-genetic-testing-of-his-mother-and-son-allegedly-ties-him-to-horrific-1995-rape-case/.
Fox 8 News. “Williams Rape Case Update.” Fox 8 News, January 13, 2023. Accessed January 17, 2023. https://www.fox8tv.com/newspost/williams-rape-case-update-2/.
Luperon, Alberto. “Pennsylvania Man Arrested After Genetic Testing of His Mother and Son Allegedly Ties him to Horrific 1995 Rape Case.” Law & Crime, October 6, 2021. Accessed October 8, 2021. https://lawandcrime.com/crime/pennsylvania-man-arrested-after-genetic-testing-of-his-mother-and-son-allegedly-ties-him-to-horrific-1995-rape-case/.
Palotto, Bret. “Man Accused of Raping Penn State Student in 1995 Released from Jail After Posting Bail.” Centre Daily Times, December 14, 2021. Accessed December 29, 2021. https://www.centredaily.com/news/local/crime/article256597036.html.
Sokmensuer, Harriet. “26 Years After a Penn State Student was Brutally Raped and Beaten, Authorities Arrest a Suspect.” People, October 7, 2021. Accessed October 8, 2021. https://people.com/crime/26-years-after-penn-state-student-was-brutally-raped-beaten-authorities-arrest-suspect/.
Swift, Megan. “Reedsville Man Arrested in Connection with 1995 Rape, Aggravated Assault of Penn State Student.” Daily Collegian, October 5, 2021. Accessed October 8, 2021. https://www.collegian.psu.edu/news/campus/reedsville-man-arrested-in-connection-with-1995-rape-aggravated-assault-of-penn-state-student/article_875ccd28-2626-11ec-b47e-472b9ec70d36.html?fbclid=IwAR0K68G3Vsk7hCZ4varMbS7CsCgDJMB9Tlz82C_6FIdRfTioQ5iV39PZalg.