Elyria man sentenced to at least 18 years in prison on rape charges

ELYRIA — An Elyria man convicted of two felony rape charges by a jury following a two-day trial earlier this week in Lorain County Common Pleas Court was sentenced Thursday to at least 18 years in prison. Paul R. Wilkins Jr., 53, of Fairlawn Avenue, was sentenced by Judge Christopher Rothgery to an indefinite sentence of 18 to 22½ years in prison. He was convicted of raping a male victim with an intellectual disability. Rothgery also found Wilkins guilty of being a repeat violent offender. Had Rothgery sentenced Wilkins to the maximum of 11 years in prison on both of the rape charges, the repeat violent offender specification, or RVO, could have added from one to 10 more years in prison onto Wilkins' sentence at the judge's discretion. As a Tier III sex offender, Wilkins will be required to register his address with his local sheriff's office in person every 90 days for the rest of his life if he gets out of prison. Indicted in June 2023, he had been free on bond awaiting trial. Through his attorney, Wilkins said he plans to appeal his conviction, and Rothgery appointed attorney Giovanna Scaletta-Bremke to file an appeal on his behalf within 30 days. The rape convictions were Wilkins' 21st and 22nd felony convictions since 1991, Lorain County Assistant Prosecutor Patrick Hakos said in court. Wilkins also was convicted of rape in 2005 in Cuyahoga County, after drugging and raping a 16-year-old girl. He served four years in prison for that crime, Hakos said. Wilkins described himself to Elyria police officers who interviewed him during the investigation as a "career criminal," Hakos said in court. Wilkins also styled himself as a minister who did prison and homeless outreach ministry in the region, according to statements made in court. In court, Rothgery said Wilkins took advantage of the victim's intellectual disability to assault him. Hakos said the victim has been afraid to go out in public since Wilkins assaulted him and suffered "serious psychological harm." "I wanted to say I'm sorry to (the victim) for everything that happened. I truly am sorry," Wilkins said when given a chance to address the court. "I didn't handle that situation the way I should have and let that situation go through the way it did." Defense attorney James Ingalls asked Rothgery to take into account Wilkins' diagnosed clinical depression and "number of mental health issues." Wilkins was the one who discovered his own father dead of suicide, his attorney said, and has a history of suicidal thoughts. Never married, Wilkins is the father of two children and has found it difficult to get a job with his felony criminal record, Ingalls said. His felony convictions include drug trafficking, though Wilkins has been sober since 2005, his attorney said. Ingalls asked Rothgery not to impose the maximum sentence, saying there are "differences between crimes" and that testimony at trial showed "it came down to (the victim's) ability to consent." He asked for a sentence that was less than the maximum but "severe enough" that it would allow Wilkins to get out of prison one day. In the meantime, he said his client would take time in prison "to get his mental health right." But Hakos said if Wilkins gets out of prison, he's likely to reoffend. Wilkins "never responded favorably" to prison, probation or treatment in the past, he said. Wilkins could be heard in recorded phone calls from the past several days since he's been in the Lorain County Jail talking about the "trumped-up charges" against him and how Rothgery was "against me" during the case. Wilkins is "blaming everyone else for the situation he's in," Hakos said. "He's shown time and time again he can't control himself." Several jurors showed up in court Thursday to attend the sentencing. The victim thanked all those who worked on the case and helped him through it, saying he was "so beyond grateful." "It has affected my life since then," he said. "It left me wondering if he (Wilkins) has hurt others." Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.