THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc. DATE: Friday, February 3, 1995 TAG: 9502030597 SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL SOURCE: BY LYNN WALTZ AND ANGELITA PLEMMER, STAFF WRITERS DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Long : 115 lines
Kerri Charity, the defendant in the North End serial rape case, was found guilty Thursday in a string of sexual assaults that terrorized women at the Oceanfront in 1993.
Charity showed no emotion as the clerk read 11 guilty verdicts in four separate attacks. Then he turned to his girlfriend, Maria Cantrell, and said, ``Don't cry.''
Cantrell, the mother of his child, burst into tears as the verdicts were read, burying her face in the shoulder of Charity's father.
Cantrell, who was sitting in the front row behind Charity, ran from the courtroom after hissing ``You're sick'' at the backs of the jurors as they filed out. She sobbed in a small conference room next to the courtroom.
The jurors - nine women and three men - deliberated for eight hours. At one point, they were ready to quit for the day, but at the judge's urging, they decided to persevere.
Today, the jurors will hear more testimony before determining Charity's sentence. They will be told for the first time of Charity's conviction last year in a break-in at a woman's house. When the woman screamed and help arrived, he took her purse and fled.
Next month, Charity will be tried in a fifth case, the sexual assault of a jogger in Seashore State Park.
Charity, 24, could receive more than seven life sentences for Thursday's convictions on three counts of rape, two counts of sodomy, two counts of abduction with intent to defile and four counts of burglary.
When asked late Thursday afternoon whether the jury wanted to begin the sentencing hearing, the forewoman shook her head. ``It's been a long day,'' she replied.
As the jurors left, some glanced at Charity's family. At least one smiled at the victims, while most averted their gaze from either side of the crowded courtroom.
For two weeks, they had heard testimony ranging from hours of tedious DNA evidence to the emotionally charged stories of the four victims and Charity's family members.
They heard of Charity's cruelty to his victims and how the former Norfolk State University criminal justice major carefully tried to remove all signs of trace evidence, including fingerprints and semen.
They heard victim after victim describe how she was watching television alone when a tall, slender man took her by surprise and threatened to kill her with a knife.
In each case, Charity stood behind the victim so she couldn't see his face. He took each to her bedroom, covering her head with her bedclothes while he attacked her from behind.
He degraded and tormented his victims, sometimes using racial slurs, sometimes using crude anatomical language to ask them where they wanted to be assaulted. Then he would roughly wipe them with their own clothes in an attempt to remove DNA evidence.
``Mr. Charity is unfortunately a highly dangerous individual,'' said prosecutor Albert Alberi after the trial.
Prosecutors said the jury obviously relied heavily on DNA evidence found in two of the cases, and dismissed testimony by family members who said Charity could not have committed one of the rapes because he spent the evening with them celebrating his father's 53rd birthday.
``They rejected the alibi; that was very clear,'' Alberi said of the jurors.
Defense attorney David Baugh said he was disappointed by the verdict. Baugh, a Richmond lawyer known for his flamboyant and aggressive style, argued dramatically on behalf of his client throughout the trial.
Baugh played down the importance of DNA, portraying the case as a house of cards based on a flimsy foundation of circumstantial evidence and misidentifications.
``When it took so long for the jury to come back, I got a little heartened,'' Baugh said. ``The jury was obviously serious and deliberated carefully. They appeared exhausted.''
Baugh asked the media to refrain from videotaping Charity's family after the verdict, calling the moment ``very, very private.''
Charity's mother and father showed little emotion to the verdict, commenting only under their breaths.
``What kind of people are they?'' the mother said of the jury. Earlier, Charity's father had said that, by urging the jurors to go back into deliberation, the judge was pressuring them to rush their decision.
While Charity's family avoided the media, declining to be interviewed, three of the four victims celebrated inside victim-support offices. They were laughing, hugging, smiling and talking about the verdict.
In the parking lot, lead detectives in the case talked with one of the victims about what the long-awaited victory meant. Charity's string of sexual assaults started in January 1993 and ended in December of that year when he was arrested.
``After two years of all of us, 30 officers at one time, working on this case, we're glad to see this part of it over. It's hard not to get emotional,'' Detective Robert Manzione said.
``This is great,'' said Detective John Macioce. ``This has been one hell of an investigation. The commonwealth's attorney's office did a great job.''
The victim praised and thanked everyone involved in the case, not only for solving it, but for supporting her through the ordeal.
``The detective, police, attorneys and victim-witness (program) have been very supportive. They all did an excellent job,'' said the woman, whose name is not being used because she was the victim of a sexual assault.
``It was emotional,'' she said of her fellow victims' reaction to the verdict. Detective Kirk Rexroad said he, too, felt a jolt of emotion when the verdict was read.
Just before the jury returned to announce its verdict, Judge Frederick B. Lowe commended the attorneys in the case for their professionalism.
``In my experience, I've never seen attorneys as well-prepared for a trial as you all were. Because of attorneys like Ms. Albert, Mr. Alberi and Mr. Baugh, the criminal justice system does indeed work.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Kerri Charity, guilty of a series of assaults in 1993, will be
sentenced today and tried next month in a fifth case, the sexual
assault of a jogger.
KEYWORDS: RAPE SEX CRIME TRIAL SENTENCING by CNB