In January, three men allegedly broke into a woman’s Kalamazoo Township apartment committing home invasion, rape, and kidnapping. Now, 32-year-old Danny Paul Vinson has been found guilty of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and other charges. On Monday, Vinson was sentenced to 62 years in prison by Kalamazoo County Circuit Court Judge J. Richardson Johnson, who said the trial was “one of the hardest I’ve ever had to sit through” according to a news article at Mlive.com.
Two other men, 38-year-old LaFunta Summers and 21-year-old Curtis Hankton, were involved in the January 22 break-in at the victim’s home at Big Bend Apartments on Gull Road. Armed with a shotgun, the three men are accused of beating and sexually assaulting the woman during the home invasion, then dropping her off at a Watervliet hospital.
The news article states that Vinson used the barrel of a shotgun to sexually assault the victim, while holding a gun to her head. Diane Hungerford, Kalamazoo County Assistant Prosecutor, said she had never encountered a more atrocious set of facts in her three decades as an assistant prosecutor. She went on to say that Vinson deserves to never get out of prison.
In addition to first-degree CSC, Vinson was also found guilty of first-degree home invasion, armed robbery, unlawful imprisonment, assault with intent to commit great bodily harm less than murder, felony use of a firearm, and felon in possession of a firearm.
In sentencing the defendant, Johnson gave Vinson 35 to 75 years for first-degree CSC; he was sentenced as a fourth-time habitual offender. Sentencing for other charges will run concurrently with each other but consecutive to his CSC sentencing. Ultimately, Vinson will remain in prison for 62 years before he will be eligible for parole.
Penalties for sex-related offenses are extremely harsh in the state, a fact all Michigan sex crime attorneys are keenly aware of. When an individual is convicted as a habitual offender, the consequences are even more serious.
Whether you or someone you know has been accused of sexual assault, rape, child molestation, or other offense, take action immediately to protect your legal rights and freedom. Contact an aggressive Michigan sex crime lawyer right away.