WARNING: THIS STORY INVOLVES SEXUAL ASSAULT AND VIOLENCE, READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
LANSING TWP, Mich. (WLNS) — A 10-year-old cold case involving the rape of an MSU student has been solved.
In May of 2013, a Chicago woman attending MSU went out drinking in East Lansing to celebrate her graduation.
The woman left the bar with a man she had met that night and got in the man’s car.
The man, later identified as Marcelin Nikubwayo, drove the woman to a parking lot and proceeded to rape her. During the crime, he told the woman he was a police officer.
The woman eventually managed to escape, leaving behind her purse. She called her roommate who then called 911. The woman was initially scared to call 911 due to the man’s claim.
A Lansing Township Police officer responded to the call and took the woman to Sparrow for a sexual assault forensic investigation.
The rapist’s DNA was recovered during the investigation and was entered into the DNA record system (CODIS).
Unfortunately, the case went cold until September 2019, when a 14-year-old girl reported that a family member had raped her when she was 7 in August of 2012.
The girl’s report lead to an investigation into Nikubwayo. DNA taken from him matched the 2013 rape.
For the next three years, detectives and prosecutors worked to contact the MSU student and complete the investigation.
As a result, Nikubwayo was arrested and charged with Criminal Sexual Conduct in the 3rd degree. That charge was later amended to the first degree.
Nikubwayo was convicted of Criminal Sexual Conduct in the first degree after a weeklong trial. His sentencing is set for August 28, 2023.
The case involving the 14-year-old girl has been dismissed due to unknown reasons.
