http://www.willistonherald.com/news...cle_c696f156-9743-11e7-bd83-5f2ba5ab14cc.htmlA 24-year-old man will spend 30 years in prison for the rape and beating of a woman in November 2015.
The sentence was less than what prosecutors had asked for — life in prison without the possibility of parole — and twice what the mandatory minimum the law called for.
The defense had asked Rustad to find that the mandatory minimum sentence would be a manifest injustice and to instead sentence him to 10 years in prison.
Prosecutors say Mbulu hit a 24-year-old woman with a car jack, causing a severe head wound and neck fractures, and held her down while another man sexually assaulted her on a little-used dirt road near Epping in November 2015. The woman, wearing just a t-shirt in sub-freezing temperatures, was later found by a passerby on County Road 42.
The other man, Jean-Michael Kisi, was convicted of gross sexual imposition and being an accomplice to attempted murder in June. He was acquitted of both conspiracy charges.
Williams County prosecutor Nathan Madden argued that even though Mbulu said he accepted responsibility for what happened, his actions proved otherwise.
Madden introduced a series of text messages from Mbulu to the victim that came after his conviction. In them, Madden said, Mbulu tries to evade responsibility and shift the blame from himself onto the police, the prosecution and the jury.
Daniel Borgen, the public defender who represented Mbulu during the sentencing, argued that Mbulu’s age and lack of serious criminal history meant that he could be rehabilitated.
“David understands he committed a wrong,” Borgen said. “He’s accepted responsibility.”
Mbulu also addressed Rustad, saying that he was sorry for what had happened. He said the only reason he’d contacted the victim in the case was to help her find peace. He asked the judge to recognize his remorse and factor that in when sentencing him.
“I can be rehabilitated,” Mbulu said. “I can be somebody who can be successful in society.”
“I did not rape that woman,” he said. “I tried to stop him. I’ll take that to the grave.”
http://www.kfyrtv.com/content/news/David-Mbulu-sentenced-for-attempted-murder-443834753.html"I failed her," said Mbulu. "I failed so many people. I failed my family. I failed everybody that depended on me. I had so many things that were going for me, I mean the state will choose not to portray me that way, but I am a human being. I can do better. I can be rehabilitated. I can be someone who can be successful in society."
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