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Convicted Minneapolis rapist sentenced after rape kit went untested for a decade

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Convicted Minneapolis rapist sentenced after rape kit went untested for a decade


It took a pair of rape victims greater than a dozen years to get justice for a 2010 gunpoint assault. On Monday, their assailant, James Works was sentenced to greater than 32 years in jail. The case took so lengthy to prosecute as a result of important DNA proof sat untested for years.

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“I can simply let that on this case, , justice was delayed, however it wasn’t denied,” Hennepin County District Courtroom Decide William Koch advised Works throughout sentencing. “Justice arrived, simply late, however it did arrive.”

The Hennepin County Legal professional’s workplace experiences the case towards Works is the primary one to web a conviction in a joint effort to check beforehand untested sexual assault kits collected by the Minneapolis Police Division.

There have been a few causes these rape kits went untested, the victims advised FOX 9 they had been younger, troubled and scared, and had used faux names with investigators once they first reported the assault, explaining they didn’t wish to be arrested themselves. However they by no means stopped hoping today would come. And so they had been within the courtroom to confront the person who damage them so horrifically.

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“13 years in the past, he took a chunk of me that I felt like I might by no means get again,” Sufferer #1 advised the courtroom throughout her emotional influence assertion.

Separately, the 2 victims stepped in entrance of Decide Koch, simply toes from their attacker, and shared years of ache and trauma over what occurred that June night time, 2010.

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They requested FOX 9 to not present their faces on digicam however insisted their phrases be heard far past the courtroom partitions.

Sufferer #2 stated, “I used to be disrespected, dehumanized, belittled… stripped of my dignity and vanity.”

Proof would present the ladies had been held at gunpoint and raped by Works. However proof collected by investigators on the time went untested for greater than a decade.

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Lastly, in 2021, as a part of the joint Minneapolis Sexual Assault Package Initiative, the Bureau of Felony Apprehension ran DNA assessments that hit on Works, who had emerged as a possible suspect in different assaults on space girls via the years. A jury discovered Works responsible at trial in late March. Decide Koch handed him a 390-month sentence or 32-and-a-half years for rape and kidnapping.

This particular person sexually assaulted two folks over ten years in the past,” Hennepin County Legal professional Mary Moriarty advised FOX 9’s Paul Blume after the listening to. “He’s a hazard to the neighborhood.

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Moriarty stated her workplace is targeted on getting justice in intercourse assault instances, describing a multi-faceted effort together with continued forensic testing of rape kits which will stay on proof cabinets, embedding a prosecutor inside MPD’s Intercourse Crimes Unit, and prioritizing sufferer advocacy to assist information people via the prison justice system as soon as they file a report.

“We all know the preliminary response and what occurs proper after that’s actually important with gathering the kinds of proof that we must be profitable in these sorts of prosecutions. So that could be a precedence of mine,” defined Moriarty.

“Whatever the scenario of the way it turned out proper now, I settle for the implications,” stated Works, who tried to reduce his conduct when given the chance to handle the courtroom.

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However it’s his victim-survivors who vowed to have the final phrase.

“I simply needed to let him know that he won’t decide the place my life ends. And he won’t. I can’t dwell in worry anymore due to his actions,” concluded Sufferer #1.

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Given state sentencing pointers, on the very least, Works will spend almost 22 years behind bars, that means he can be in his 70s when he’s launched. At which level, Works can be required to register as a predatory offender for the remainder of his life.

The BCA reported Monday that there are nonetheless 621 untested sexual assault kits ready to be examined statewide. The typical turnaround time for testing proper now could be 124 days.



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Minneapolis, MN

Readers Write: Gaetz, letters, political division, Election Day, Minneapolis City Council

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Readers Write: Gaetz, letters, political division, Election Day, Minneapolis City Council


What about retail workers, you may ask? Well, Black Friday has rightly been criticized for its imposition on Thanksgiving given its early start for shoppers and especially for employees. With the Friday recast as Election Day, stores would be disinclined to maintain their emphasis on this one shopping day, given the competition for media and public attention. They could instead put the third day of the four-day holiday weekend to good use, perhaps designating it as “Super Sale Saturday.” It’s likely that those fond of the new election results will be in a good spending mood, and those in distress about them will love a distracting day at the mall.

Perhaps most importantly, having the election right after Thanksgiving may also help inspire some American cohesion on the eve of what has become an intensely polarizing event. Our sense of belonging provided by family and friends, and celebrated with a group feast that is unique to American culture in all of its diversity, may emphasize the good will that we should hold toward each other, no matter our perceived differences.

Michael Friedman, Minneapolis

Andy Brehm’s lengthy Nov. 25 reconciliation piece, “Here’s one way we can help heal our divided country,” lacks the substance of the problem that is nine years old: no mention of the felon and alleged sexual predator who has laid out plans to bully the nation. Without this, Brehm, the aspiring peacemaker, remains a part of the national problem. No justice, no peace.

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Steve Watson, Minneapolis



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5 artists to keep an eye on from 2024’s Minneapolis College of Art and Design art sale

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5 artists to keep an eye on from 2024’s Minneapolis College of Art and Design art sale


The 27th annual Minneapolis College of Art and Design’s art sale was like a mix between a thrift store hunt and a stroll through a gallery.

This year, organizers of the art sale made it easier to navigate by grouping artists together rather than sprinkling their work through the four-day show that ended Nov. 24. The event wasn’t just a chance for artists to sell work but also a place to discover new talent. It included works from current MCAD students and alumni, which precluded current professors or employees unless they attend the school. Here’s a list of artists whose works caught my eye and should catch yours as well.

J.M. Culver’s “That, There” is an oil and charcoal painting on canvas. (J.M. Culver)

J.M. Culver

In her paintings, Minneapolis-based artist J.M. Culver explores memory and the human condition. Her painting “That, There,” a 5-by-5-foot oil and charcoal painting on canvas, portrays a room devoid of people, with a bright blue chair placed in the center of hazy-looking furniture. The painting evokes a sense of memory, but fragmented and maybe even false. Culver got her bachelor’s degree in fine arts from MCAD, and did her graduate studies at Syracuse University in New York. Check out her work on the art sale’s website or jmculver.com.

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The price tag for “Kit” by photographer Shun Yong was $2,000 at the 27th annual MCAD Art Sale. (Shun Yong)

Shun Yong’s photograph of a woman dressed in white sitting on a red couch jumped out at me. This large-scale portrait, titled “Kit,” captures a subtle moment in time: she’s knitting something in a domestic setting. The photo left me wanting to know more, but also feeling cautious to ask. Yong graduated with a master’s degree in photography from MCAD in 2018. For more info, visit shunjyong.com or the art sale’s website.

Artist Troy McCall’s painting “Snow Angels” was listed for $1,000 at the 27th annual MCAD Art Sale. (Troy McCall)

In each of artist Troy McCall’s paintings, there is something haunting, eerie or just plain unnerving. “Snow Angels” depicts an idyllic snow-covered sledding hill and a kid carving a snow angel with his body as a girl with a sled walks toward him. But look closer and you’ll see the fear on his face. Why is he scared, though? McCall’s painting lets viewers’ minds wander to various conclusions. The same sinister feeling lurks in paintings of classic American holidays such as Christmas, Halloween and the Fourth of July. McCall graduated with his bachelor’s degree in filmmaking from MCAD in 2008. See more of his work on the art sale’s website or at themccallcompany.com

Niky Motekallem’s illustration titled “A New Bed With Soil Softer than Cotton” was on display at Minneapolis College of Art and Design’s art sale. (Niky Motekallem)

Illustrator and artist Niky Motekallem’s lush, hyper detail-oriented paintings mostly depict flowers, plants and animals in various moments of beautiful decay. In one illustration, a lavender-colored bunny is wrapped in pink and purple flowers; in another, a gathering of butterflies nestles on aqua-and-green-tinted flowers. At the art sale, Motekallem’s paintings were encased in frames as ornate as the works themselves. The Iranian-American received her master’s degree in illustration from MCAD in 2016. More at nikymotekallem.com or Instagram.com/royalghostmarch.

“Rebirth Cycle: Oak (green)”, a hand-carved relief print by Jamie Kubat, was priced at $40 at the MCAD Art Sale. (Jamie Kubat)

I uncovered two prints by Minneapolis-based artist Jamie Kubat hidden away on a shelf on the second-floor of the art sale. The hand-carved relief prints depict a crow holding a mushroom next to a sheep skull, and surrounded by plants. In the haunting print “Ghost,” a horse trots through a world of swirling smoke. Kubat graduated from MCAD in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in drawing and painting. A multidisciplinary artist, Kubat draws on their experiences as an autistic person with a rural upbringing, and displayed works recently at “The Art of Disability Justice Now” at the Mill City Museum. To see more on Kubat, visit the art sale’s website or jamiekubat.com.





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Minneapolis police gear up ahead of the holiday weekend

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Minneapolis police gear up ahead of the holiday weekend


Minneapolis police gear up ahead of the holiday weekend – CBS Minnesota

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Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara talks about safety plans for the unofficial bar holiday, the night before Thanksgiving. WCCO’s Ubah Ali has the story.

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