Judge re-sentences man in 2001 rape conviction

YOUNGSTOWN — A man who raped a woman at gunpoint as a 15-year-old will have an opportunity for release from prison when he is 65 years old.

A ruling by the Ohio Supreme Court sent the case of Brandon Moore, now 32, back to Mahoning County Common Pleas Court for re-sentencing.

Judge Maureen A. Sweeney imposed a 50-year sentence on charges of aggravated robbery, rape and kidnapping.

Judge R. Scott Krichbaum initially sentenced Moore to a 141-year prison term ruling that Moore “[could not] be rehabilitated, that it would be a waste of time and money and common sense to even give it a try.”

On appeal, the sentence was reduced to 112 years.

The state Supreme Court’s decision, however, ruled that sentencing a juvenile convicted of a nonhomicide offense to a sentence that exceeds his or her life expectancy constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.

In 2001, Moore and three others kidnapped a 21-year-old woman, and Moore and another male brutally raped her at gunpoint.

For the complete story, read Wednesday's Vindicator and Vindy.com