A convicted peeper was sentenced to 48 to 96 years in a Pennsylvania prison for an attack on a Penn State graduate student. The repeat criminal defendant, 32 year old Michael Kuhn, attacked a then 36 year old woman after breaking into her State College, PA apartment on July 4, 2007. Judge Thomas King Kistler stated that the attack could have resulted in loss of life if there wans’t prompt medical attention. “She was bound, helpless and the rape was of a particularly brutal nature. But for the fortuitous circumstances that (she) was able to get immediate care, she may have perished.”
She testified that she awoke that morning to the smell of blood pouring from her head onto her pillow. She was tied up, raped three times and then beaten with a metal object before she was able to run for help.
At trial, a sexual assault nurse who worked in the field 20 years said this woman’s case was by far the worst she’d ever seen. Prosecutor Nathan Boob passionately asked that the maximum sentence allowed in this case — 60 to 120 years — be imposed on Kuhn.
He counted several factors, including a story the victim told at trial, about how she was so traumatized she couldn’t even walk to a gas station. He also highlighted that Kuhn attacked a complete stranger in her own bed, showed her “no mercy” and then showed “no remorse.”
“The defendant’s actions were brutal, atrocious, barbaric and reflect a mind that acts without fear of social consequence,” Boob said.
Boob also brought up the defendant’s 17 year criminal history and lack of change, stating that Pennsylvania’s non prison criminal sanctions have failed for Kuhn.
“Nothing has worked with this defendant,” Boob said. “We have tried fines and costs, ARD, probation, he has been given the chance of in-home detention, he’s been on parole. None of these attempts by the criminal justice system were able to prevent this horrific event. In fact, the defendant was on parole when he committed this crime.”
The woman’s victim impact statement, delivered via webcam to the courtroom, said, “This person needs to be put away for a very long time, if not forever. I need to put this to rest, too. I need to know that he’s behind bars when I’m 60 years old. I would have a fear of him knowing how to find me when he gets out. ... This is something I will have to tell my children about ... This is something I am working through.”
The crime that Kuhn was on parole from was peeping and videotaping a woman as she undressed. After parole was revoked, Kuhn was sentenced to 29 months. Police linked Kuhn to the rape through his involvement with the voyeurism counts.
Boob stated that “Even after committing this heinous act, Mr. Kuhn was not satisfied with his desire. He went further and started to victimize more people. It is clear in my mind that Mr. Kuhn presents a substantial danger to any woman he comes across in his life. The only fortunate thing in this case is that Mr. Kuhn has been caught ... and we have the opportunity to stop this from ever happening again.”
The father of the peeping victim stated to Boob, “I prepared my daughter for everything I could I tried to teach her right from wrong. I tried to make sure she was safe. But the one thing you can never prepare a child for are the likes of Michael Kuhn.”
The sentence breaks down as follows:
Attempted murder of the first-degree: 10 to 20 years.
Rape: 9 to 18 years.
Rape: 9 to 18 years.
Involuntary deviate sexual intercourse: 9 to 18 years.
Burglary: 4 to 8 years.
Aggravated assault: 5 to 10 years.
Terroristic threats: 1 to 2 years.
False imprisonment: 1 to 2 years.
An additional 24 counts for which the jury convicted Michael Kuhn were merged for sentencing purposes.
Besides the prison sentence, Kuhn will have to pay $6500 in restution for victim expenses, and if released, will have to register under Pennsylvania’s Megan’s Law as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
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