Rapist and UW attacker faces ‘two strikes’
Mar 7, 2012, 6:54 PM | Updated: 8:01 pm
Robert D. Hitt, 34, was charged with nine felonies, including six counts of first-degree kidnapping, burglary and robbery. Prosecutors allege he broke into a University District home and bound six women inside, forcing one to remove her clothes at knifepoint. (Photo courtesy DOC)
(Photo courtesy DOC)
The convicted rapist who tied up a house full of University of Washington students Monday faces life in prison if convicted under the state’s “Two Strikes” law for repeat sex offenders.
Robert D. Hitt, 34, was charged with nine felonies, including six counts of first-degree kidnapping, burglary and robbery. Prosecutors allege he broke into a University District home and bound six women inside, forcing one to remove her clothes at knifepoint.
“Courageous action by the young women during this terrifying ordeal and a quick response by the Seattle Police Department kept this crime from having a tragic ending,” said King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg. “We will make sure that he never walks our streets again.”
Prosecutors added a sexual motivation allegation, a rapid recidivism allegation and deadly weapon enhancements to the charges, making Hitt eligible for a life sentence if convicted as a repeat offender.
According to the Washington State Department of Corrections, Hitt was released from prison on January 10, 2012 after serving a 10 year sentence for first-degree rape. According to court documents from the King County Prosecutor’s Office, Hitt raped a 19-year-old University of Washington student at knifepoint in October 2001.
He was released by the state’s Indeterminate Sentence Review Board, which determined he was at a “low-risk” to reoffend.
Prosecutors have requested that Hitt be held without bail. His arraignment is scheduled for March 21.
