The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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November 9, 2009

Prison time for two sex assaults

By Robb Murray

MANKATO — The victim’s statement was brief and to the point: What William Deangelo Kinnard did to her has changed her life forever.

The statement, read by a sexual assault advocate, chastised Kinnard for taking away her sense of safety.

“Now I have to pay for you to eat and sleep (in prison) after what you did to me,” the statement said.

Kinnard, who pleaded guilty in September to sexual assault, was sentenced Monday to 51⁄2 years in prison.

Kinnard’s guilty plea also triggered prison time from a previous sexual assault, but that time will be served concurrently with his longer term for the current crime.

When he gets out of prison, he will spend the rest of his life on supervised release, and as a sex offender.

“He is the very definition of a predator,” prosecutor Michael Hanson said. “And it’s going to continue if he doesn’t do his time in prison and learn his lesson.”

Kinnard was arrested in April after he was found hiding in a closet at a Mankato apartment. Another man there told police Kinnard had sexually assaulted his girlfriend, who had been passed out on a bed after a night of drinking, court records said.

The victim was dressed when her boyfriend left, but some of her clothing had been removed before Kinnard was found in the closet.

A short time before that incident, Kinnard had been released from jail after serving 180 days in jail for sexually assaulting two teen girls in 2007. The prison time in that case was “stayed,” or put on hold for a set period of time during which Kinnard was to remain crime free.

His guilty plea brought the previous case back into play.

One of his attorneys, Carrie Marsh, defended Kinnard’s character.

“The trouble with not trying a case like this is that nobody gets the full picture,” Marsh said. “The word ‘predator’ does not fit.”

She said Kinnard has spoken a lot about his love for his children and family. She said he’s not the kind of person who belongs in prison.

“I know that’s difficult for some people to hear,” Marsh said, “but that’s truly how I feel.”

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