DNA locks man's guilt in rape cases 16 years ago

TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) - The rapist in a pair of 16-year-old rape cases in Tippecanoe County will serve an extra 80 years in prison.

43-year-old Robert Day pleaded guilty to rape last month in two cases dating back to June and July of 1996.

Prosecutor Pat Harrington says in both cases, the victim was raped after waking up in the early morning hours to find Day in her bedroom.

Last year DNA taken at the time of the rapes was traced back to Day.

The new 80-year sentence will be in addition to the 80-year sentence he is currently serving for a 2006 rape conviction in Marion County.

Here are some of the details from his two rape cases that led to the extra 80 years.

The first one happened on June 16, 1996. The victim says she awoke just after 5:30 a.m. to Day sleeping on her bedroom floor.

The victim tried to escape but Day choked her, threatened her with a knife, tore her clothes off and raped her.

The victim was taken to the hospital where a “rape kit” was completed and 15 years later in the summer of 2011, the sample from the rape case matched a sample from Day’s DNA.

The second happened on July 23 of 1996, just a little more than one month after he raped the first victim.

The victim said she woke up at 4 a.m. to use the bathroom and when she came back to bed, she saw a figure who jumped into her bed, threatened her with a knife and raped her.

The victim was also taken to the hospital where a rape kit was completed. In the fall of 2011, the DNA from that rape kit matched a DNA sample from Day.