Austintown man guilty in 3 rapes

The plea deal means the rapist avoids a life prison term.

STAFF REPORT

YOUNGSTOWN — The prosecution is recommending a 10-year prison sentence for a 42-year-old Austintown man, who pleaded guilty to three counts of rape involving two female relatives and a male relative when they were between the ages of 5 and 9.

Richard W. Stilson Jr., of Westminster Avenue, entered his plea Monday before Judge Timothy E. Franken of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court. The offenses occurred in 1999 in the defendant’s residence.

The prosecution agreed to drop three other rape counts and six counts of gross sexual imposition.

The rape counts initially carried a possible life prison term because of the youth of the three victims and the use of force the charges alleged, but the prosecution reduced the three rape counts to which Stilson pleaded guilty to first-degree felony rape charges, each carrying a three-to-10-year prison term.

The prosecution is recommending a 10-year prison sentence on each count to be served concurrently.

Natasha K. Frenchhko, assistant county prosecutor, said she made the plea agreement to spare the victims the ordeal of testifying in a trial.

Stilson’s lawyer, Douglas B. Taylor, said he’ll ask the judge to impose a three-year prison sentence because Stilson has no prior criminal record.

Stilson remains jailed pending sentencing at 10 a.m. June 25.

Taylor, who called the plea agreement a “fair resolution” of the case, said his client “almost had to take the deal” because he was facing a life sentence if convicted on any of the original rape counts.

Taylor attributed the two-year delay between the grand jury indictment and resolution of the case to voluminous evidence and long plea negotiations.

He said the 9,000 pages of evidence, including victims’ statements and police and Children Services Board reports, was the most he’d ever seen in any case in his 20 years of law practice.