Rapist who ‘terrorized the Tacoma area’ is sentenced after DNA linked him to the crimes

Andre Jones Taylor was sentenced Friday for raping two women in Tacoma — nearly 15 years after the attacks.

Pierce County Superior Court Judge Garold Johnson found the 43-year-old guilty of first-degree rape, second-degree rape and first-degree robbery in September, after Taylor waived his right to a jury trial.

Deputy prosecutor Sven Nelson told the court at sentencing that Taylor had “terrorized the Tacoma area,” and that his crimes were “especially violent and especially brutal.”

Nelson asked for a high-end sentence, and the judge agreed.

Johnson gave Taylor 26 year, six months to life in prison. The open-ended sentence means the state’s Indeterminate Sentence Review Board will decide when or if Taylor is eventually released.

Defense attorney Dino Sepe asked for a low-end sentence. He didn’t say much about Taylor’s background but referred the judge to a pre-sentence investigation report that he said detailed drug and alcohol problems, and family and education history.

Taylor declined to address the court.

He attacked one of the victims after she asked him for a ride in July 2003. He took her to McKinley Park, where he hit her in the head repeatedly and threatened to get a gun as he raped her.

Four months later he followed a woman into an alley as she walked on Yakima Avenue, heading home from visiting her daughter.

He grabbed the woman from behind, raped her and stole her jewelry before he fled.

It was in 2014 that DNA connected him to the crimes. Detectives used a grant from the National Institute of Justice for the DNA work.

Taylor’s prior convictions include third-degree rape, attempted kidnapping with sexual motivation, assault with sexual motivation and failure to register as a sex offender.

This story was originally published January 12, 2018 at 5:09 PM with the headline "Rapist who ‘terrorized the Tacoma area’ is sentenced after DNA linked him to the crimes."