Man sentenced to 10 years in prison for 2019 sexual assault in Lynchburg

LYNCHBURG, Va. (WSET) — Content warning: This article includes details of sexual assault, which may be distressing or triggering for some readers.

A man convicted of sexually assaulting a woman after a party in 2019 has been sentenced to ten years in prison.

Lynchburg Commonwealth's Attorney Bethany Harrison released information about the sentencing on June 12, but she said the man learned of his fate on May 29 of this year.

The man, Richard Whitted, 32, was found guilty of one count of sexual penetration by object. This accusation stems from an incident in October 1029, when a woman reported being sexually assaulted after a party. Harrison said the woman said she attended the party with a friend and returned to that friend's apartment on Northwynd Circle, but only remembered bits and pieces because she was heavily drunk.

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“The victim only remembered fragments of the night,” Harrison said. “At some point in the night, she woke up in her friend's bed with a man on top of her making movements that made her feel like he was having sex with her.”

Harrison said a physical evidence recovery kit recovered DNA matching Whitted, who had been out at the party that night with the victim and her friend.

Whitted was interviewed by Detective David Dubie of the Lynchburg Police Department, where he denied having sexual relations with the victim. Whitted said he did not approach the victim, but said he stayed in the same apartment as her the night of Oct. 27, but stayed in a different room .

Whitted was found guilty despite his conviction appeal, and he will be taken to the Virginia Department of Corrections and required to register as a sex offender.

He was sentenced to 40 years in prison, but will only serve 10 years on the condition of 24 months of supervised probation, followed by 30 years of probation. During these 40 years, you must behave well.