Foto: Miami-Dade Corrections booking photo: Robert Koehler
The second trial of the so-called Pillowcase Rapist is over. Monday, the prosecution rested and the defense declined to call 66-year-old Robert Koehler to testify in his own defense. The jury quickly rendered a guilty verdict on all charges including burglary, kidnapping, and sexual battery.
The defense had asked the judge for an acquittal accusing prosecutor Laura Adams of improperly admitting rape kit evidence and failing to prove kidnapping.
The judge denied the defense motion for acquittal and as a result, prosecutor Laura Adams delivered her closing arguments.
She told the jury that Koehler's DNA links him to the rape of a 25-year-old woman in 1984. The defense argued that the sperm in the rape kit was non-motile and their client is fertile. In fact, he has fathered three children.
The Koehler's attorneys called no witnesses in his defense.
The hunt for the Pillowcase Rapist was a cold case until a familial DNA hit in 2020 when Koehler's son was arrested on a felony.
The state says a DNA match has linked Koehler to a spate of rapes in South Florida from decades ago. He is currently serving 17-years for another rape conviction.