Posted on 12/21/2006 9:54:15 AM PST by DogByte6RER
UPS rapist is sentenced to 53-years-to-life term
By Dana Littlefield
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
December 21, 2006
In letters to a Superior Court judge, friends and family members described Christopher Dale Smith, 22, as a compassionate and “beautiful soul” who always looked out for the underdog.
But testimony presented during a San Diego Superior Court trial painted a different picture, the judge said, one of a “complex” and “compulsive” man who raped a young woman at knifepoint while he was supposed to be delivering packages for UPS.
“How do I reconcile the Mr. Smith that his family writes about with the Mr. Smith who attacked (the victim) at knifepoint in her apartment?” Judge Charles Rogers asked yesterday.
His answer was that he could not.
“People do impulsive acts that are not always thought out . . . ” Rogers said. “And sometimes these acts are evil, vile and destructive.”
With that, the judge sentenced Smith to 53 years to life in prison.
A jury convicted Smith on Sept. 21 of forcible rape and other sex crimes stemming from an assault on a 20-year-old nursing student in her University City apartment. It was the second jury to hear the case against Smith; the first was unable to reach a verdict.
Prosecutors argued during the trial that Smith delivered a package to the victim's neighbor minutes before the Nov. 10, 2005, attack. He entered the woman's apartment when she took out the trash about 3:30 p.m., leaving the front door of her home closed but unlocked.
She returned to find Smith, dressed in his UPS uniform, brandishing a kitchen knife and ordering her into a walk-in closet, where he sexually assaulted her.
During the attack, the woman repeatedly pleaded with Smith to leave, but he refused. At one point, she asked him why he assaulted her and he responded that “he had a problem” and was on medication. He offered her money so she would not call police, according to court documents.
The woman dialed 911 as soon as Smith left. Questioned by police at work, he told authorities he had flirted with the victim several times and that the sex was consensual. He claimed she became angry when he told her he was married, according to the documents.
The victim, who has since moved out of the state, told the judge yesterday that memories of the attack frequently invade her thoughts.
“It follows me wherever I go,” she said.
She later told Smith, “I hope that someday you will be able to take responsibility for what you did to me.”
Smith did not speak at the hearing.
His mother tearfully pleaded for the judge to be merciful. She asked him to take her son's age into account, along with the fact that Smith has a son born shortly before the attack.
“Chris may miss his son's whole childhood,” his mother said.
Defense attorney Cameron Edwards pointed out that his client had no prior criminal convictions and argued that a sentence of 25 years to life in prison was sufficient punishment.
Prosecutor Melissa Diaz argued that an additional 28 years was warranted for many reasons, including Smith's use of a knife in the attack. She also noted that Smith had been accused of assaulting another woman who fought him off.
Smith was acquitted in that case.
Rapists and pedophiles typically don't fare too well in lock-up.
"What can brown do for you?"
“Chris may miss his son's whole childhood,” his mother said."
Tough. The victim will miss her sense of well-being.
Damn you! You beat me by seconds. GMTA, I guess.
He should have thought of that before becoming a knife-wielding rapist.
That might not be a bad thing...
Ouch!!!
“Chris may miss his son's whole childhood,”
Sounds like another good reason to lock this creep up for 53 years.
Anybody who rapes is not a "compassionate and beautiful soul".
Reminds me of a Little Davie joke ...
Little Davie attended a horse auction with his father. He watched as his father moved from horse to horse, running his hands up and down the horse's legs, rump, and chest After a few minutes, Davie asked, "Dad, why are you doing that?"
His father replied, "Because when I'm buying horses, I have to make sure that they are healthy and in good shape before I buy."
Davie , looking worried, said, "Dad, I think the UPS guy wants to buy Mom."
She's not butch enough to work in the package business.
"On" or "off" the meds?
lol
That would be a very fortunate turn of events for his son.
This story is precisely the reason why it makes complete sense to have a holstered weapon on your person, even within your home. If someone knocks on your front door, they don't need to know that you are safely armed on the other side. One must level the playing field with predators.
~ Blue Jays ~
That youngster appears to be fifteen years old.
The rest of us will get by.
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