Serial rapist sentenced to 371 years in prison in Tennessee

Published 9:50 am Monday, December 2, 2019

MEMPHIS (AP) — Prosecutors say a convicted serial rapist has been sentenced in Tennessee to 371 years in prison.

The Shelby County district attorney’s office says 37-year-old William L. Gossett was sentenced Monday for five aggravated rapes and 21 other felonies in a dozen break-ins in Memphis.

Cases included 15 victims between July 2012 and April 2016. Prosecutors say most of the burglaries, rapes and attempted rapes took place at apartment units across Memphis.

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Investigators say Gossett often entered through sliding glass doors or windows, usually with a gun or a knife. He was linked to the crimes through DNA and other evidence.

Investigators arrested Gossett in 2016. Purses, cellphones, jewelry and other items belonging to his victims were found in his home in Southaven, Miss., and in pawn shops.