A man who raped 37 women over 16 years requested a longer sentence than recommended under a plea deal, and a judge accepted Wednesday, ordering him to 68 years in prison.
The judge was prepared to sentence Robert N. Patton Jr. to 50 years but increased the punishment after Patton said he does not deserve to leave prison. Patton, 42, apologized for 15 minutes to victims in the courtroom holding sprays of white roses before he was sentenced on 135 felony counts of rape, kidnapping and burglary.
Patton's was arrested in June after a DNA sample that had sat in storage for 2.5 years was finally entered into a database. Afterward, he led police on a tour of Columbus-area homes where he broke in and raped women.
The sample had been taken in November 2001 while he served a sentence for burglary, theft and other violations, but federal funding to test convicted offenders' samples ran out five weeks earlier. Thirteen women were attacked after the sample was collected but before it was catalogued in 2004.
