Center City rapist Troy Graves heard the voices of his sexual-assault victims in court for the first time yesterday when he was sentenced for his crimes in Colorado.
"I hate you, Troy Graves, with every ounce of my being," a tearful victim said during the emotional hearing in Fort Collins. "Because of you, I felt safe nowhere."
Since his arrest in May, Graves has been transferred back and forth between Fort Collins and Philadelphia for proceedings in attacks on 14 women in the two cities, among them the sexual assault and murder of Shannon Schieber, 23, a student at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Until yesterday, Graves - facing life in prison - had escaped hearing the anger and pain of those he assaulted. His victims had been spared from testifying at his previous court appearances.
Before entering the Colorado courtroom to make their statements, the victims hugged and cried together. Their messages quickly spread via the Internet to Philadelphia, where a woman assaulted by Graves responded.
"For too long our voices have been silenced by fear, shame, and the shadow of the label 'victim,' " said the Philadelphia woman, who has been in contact with the Colorado women. "As individuals, we are now survivors. As a united group, we are strong and courageous survivors. And we have found our voices."
The Philadelphia woman was one of six sexually assaulted in Center City from June 1997 through August 1999. At the time, Graves was known only as the Center City rapist, who had killed Schieber as she fought back during a May 7, 1998, assault.
He enlisted in the Air Force in Cheyenne, Wyo., and lived off base in Fort Collins. There, he assaulted eight other women over two years until this spring, when police realized, through DNA evidence, that the assailant was the same person sought in Philadelphia.
In May, detectives working in both cities linked the DNA evidence to Graves and tracked him down at the base. He confessed to crimes in both cities.
Earlier this summer, Colorado District Judge Terence Gilmore sentenced Graves to life on a single kidnapping charge. Graves then returned to Philadelphia, where Common Pleas Court Judge Benjamin Lerner sentenced him to life for Schieber's murder and the other assaults.
Yesterday, Graves was given seven more consecutive sentences that range from five years to life.
Although they were not compelled to testify, six victims were among more than 20 people who spoke at the sentencing, sometimes talking directly to Graves.
"I was a victim of sexual assault, but I am a survivor," one woman said. "He cannot break me."
Graves showed little emotion and told the court he was sorry, as he had during previous court hearings.
Among the families in the courtroom were two aunts of Shannon Schieber. Many of the people who addressed the court offered their condolences to the Schieber family, noting Shannon Schieber's voice could not be heard.
Schieber's mother, Vicki Schieber, who lives in Bethesda, Md., said yesterday that her sisters wanted to attend the sentencing for the Schieber family.
"They were very close to Shannon. They saw her grow up," Schieber said. "They were going to be there for us."
After the hearing, those who attended applauded the judge, and Graves was returned to prison. He will serve all of his time in Colorado.
