MARION COUNTY — An Indianapolis man accused of raping two elderly women living in retirement communities, including one in McCordsville, has been sentenced for his crimes in Marion County.
Samuel L. Patterson, 56, of the 7400 block of West Washington Street in Indianapolis, is facing decades behind bars. But he has yet to face pending rape and burglary charges in Hancock County.
Patterson, who has been in Marion County Jail since February after he was charged with raping a 77-year-old woman in Lawrence in September 2018, was given a 35-year prison sentence last week by Judge Lisa F. Borges in Marion County Superior Court.
The sentence is part of a plea deal in which Patterson received 16 years for a Level 3 felony charge of rape; 16 years for a Level 3 felony charge of burglary resulting in bodily injury; and three years for a Level 5 felony charge of kidnapping.
The sentences will run one after the other. As part of the plea agreement, four felony counts and one misdemeanor against Patterson were dismissed.
Patterson was also ordered to submit to HIV testing and allow the results to be released to the court, the probation department, the prosecutor and the victim. Patterson also had to agree to the destruction of any and all property seized, including all devices that may contain child pornography. Patterson has been identified as a sexually violent predator and must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. Patterson, who has an extensive criminal record, was already registered as a sexually violent predator in Marion County.
Last spring, forensic evidence linked Patterson to a similar attack involving a 91-year-old victim in McCordsville. That rape occurred June 27, 2018. The Lawrence attack was Sept. 26, 2018.
Patterson, who was officially charged April 22 in Hancock County for the McCordsville attack, has yet to make an initial appearance in the county, but it could come at any time, officials said.
He faces two Level 1 felony counts of rape by force; and a Level 1 felony charge of burglary with serious bodily injury. Each charges carries a sentence of up to 40 years in prison.
Deputy prosecutor Catherine Wilson is handling the case for the prosecutor’s office. She’s been in contact with officials from Marion County, who have informed her Patterson would soon be turned over to the Indiana Department of Correction.
“We’ll give them a couple of days to get him there and then we’ll request him to come here,” Wilson said.
Wilson noted while Patterson is already facing 35 years in prison for his crimes in Marion County, officials here still want justice for the victim in McCordsville.
“There could be some things we’re doing behind the scenes in an effort to not bring him and house him here,” Wilson said, alluding to a possible plea agreement.
The incident in McCordsville happened shortly after midnight June 27, 2018, at a home in the Traditions at Brookside assisted living community. The campus is near Mt. Comfort Road and County Road 900 North; the attack occurred in an independent residential home on the property, police said in a report.
The 91-year-old victim told police she went to bed around midnight and woke up to a strange noise, according to the report. The next thing she knew, someone put a pillowcase over her head and asked repeatedly where her money was. The woman told police she tried to reach for her medical alert necklace during the attack, but the man stopped her and threatened to kill her. He then raped her, she told police.
