A man from Michigan has been sentenced to prison after pleading no contest to felony charges related to two sexual assault cases that occurred over 20 years ago. The assaults took place at golf courses in Oakland County and at Penn State University.
Background
This Article Includes
Kurt Alan Rillema, 51, was linked to the sexual assault of a 22-year-old woman at an Oakland Township golf course in 1999 through DNA evidence, according to the police. Furthermore, DNA evidence also connected Rillema to a similar assault at a golf course located on the Penn State University campus in 2000.
On Monday, April 17, 2023, Rillema was arrested in Oakland County on charges of rape by forcible compulsion in Pennsylvania.
In Rochester Hills, Rillema faced charges for first-degree and second-degree criminal sexual conduct in relation to the Oakland County sexual assault. The arraignment took place with Rillema.
1999 Oakland Township assault
On September 6, 1999, the Oakland Township sexual assault took place at the Twin Lakes Golf Club.
The woman told authorities that she was working at a food stall on the course when an unidentified male entered through the back employee door, demanded she remove her clothes, and then sexually assaulted her.
Deputies collected DNA evidence, but they were unable to identify a suspect. The collected evidence was then entered into a national DNA database for further investigation.
The victim has relocated from Michigan.
2000 Penn State University assault
On July 27, 2000, the sexual assault incident at Penn State University took place.
A 19-year-old woman was jogging on a Penn State University golf course when she was approached by a man holding a knife. She claimed he held a knife to her neck and sexually abused her.
Pennsylvania investigators gathered evidence but were unable to identify a suspect.
DNA links assaults in 2004
In 2004, the evidence from the Oakland Township and Pennsylvania assaults was linked through the DNA database.
As of now, the authorities have not yet identified a suspect in either of the cases.
In the Pennsylvania case, the evidence was destroyed in accordance with state law after a certain period of time. However, at the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, the evidence was properly preserved.
Investigators use DNA to ID suspect
In July 2021, investigators in Michigan and Pennsylvania embarked on a quest to discover innovative methods for identifying a suspect in these cases.
Parabon Nanolabs, located in Reston, Virginia, received the evidence from the Oakland County case for genetic genealogy testing.
During the investigation, the genealogy was extensively traced all the way back to the 1700s. As a result, the list of potential suspects was narrowed down to one of three brothers.
Investigators had identified Rillema, the owner of a construction company, as the primary suspect in the case. Confirming their suspicions, a DNA test conducted on a reference sample matched the DNA found at the crime scenes, according to officials.
Sentenced on no contest plea
Rillema entered a plea of no contest to his charges in December 2024. On January 15, 2025, he received a sentence of a minimum of 10 years in prison.
