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Highlands Today

Cemetery Rapist Found Guilty

Sentencing Set In July

Oral Williams, 21

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By Gary Pinnell | Highlands Today

Published: June 20, 2008

SEBRING — A jury deliberated less than two hours Thursday before convicting Oral Williams, 21, of nine counts of rape, kidnapping, robbery and burglary.
The jury acquitted Williams, of Sebring, on two counts of forcing the victim's boyfriend of engaging in sexual activity with the female.

"I would be just guessing why," said Asst. State's Attorney John Kromholz, who rested his case at 2:45 p.m. Thursday. Williams's attorney, Bruce Nants of Bartow, also rested his defense without calling Williams or other witnesses to testify in his defense.

Williams was accused of taking a Lake Placid woman and her Avon Park boyfriend to the DeSoto City cemetery on May 5, 2005, holding a knife to her throat, and sexually assaulting her for hours on May 5, 2005. Both victims named Williams and Julius Jamall "Gussy" Nixon, 21, of Sebring, who was convicted in May 2007, as their assailants.

The couple, both 18 at the time, were sitting in her vehicle on Orange Blossom Boulevard when two masked men approached. One held what appeared to be a machine gun.

Two Florida Department of Law Enforcement technicians testified they found DNA from the victim, her boyfriend, Williams and Nixon, on green, black and white condoms found at the crime scene. All contained the female victim's DNA, and all three contained semen mixed from at least two of all three males.

A week before the trial began, Williams turned down a 50-year plea bargain offer, Kromholz said. Sentencing is set for July 28, but the prosecutor said he expected Williams to receive a life sentence.

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