Court Upholds Ahmed Sule's Conviction for Sexually Assaulting Elderly Fridley Resident

DNA evidence matching DNA obtained when the defendant was wearing 'rack belt' that could deliver shock was admissible, the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled Monday.

The conviction of Ahmed Sule for a sexual assault on an elderly man in his Fridley home will stand, after a Minnesota Court of Appeals opinion issued Monday. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported: The conviction of a Fridley man accused of sexually assaulting a legally blind elderly man was affirmed on appeal. The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled the Anoka County District Court did not err when it denied Ahmed Sule's motion to suppress DNA evidence during his trial or when it required Sule to wear a rack belt to restrain him during the proceedings, according to an unpublished written opinion released by the court Monday, Jan. 28. Sule, 26, was sentenced in district court Dec. 2, 2011 to nearly 30 years in prison for the 2010 offense, which …

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POLL: Enough? Jerry Sandusky Gets 30–60 Years for Sex Abuse of Boys

In 2011, Ahmed Sule of Fridley got 29 years for sex attack on an elderly neighbor.

Jerry Sandusky, 68, the former Penn State assistant football coach, was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison today for sexually abusing 10 boys. Do you agree with the sentence? Vote in the poll above and leave a comment below. 'Victims Left in the Dust' A former probation officer from Fridley called into WCCO-AM to say that to him the sentence was evidence of "liberal judges. "Time after time, victims are left in the dust," said David from Fridley, adding that he expected there were 40–50 other victims who didn't come forward, and that a more appropriate sentence would have been 300 years. 'Don't Ever Forget' In a November 2011 blog post, Fridley resident Kimberia Sherva wrote an open letter to Sandusky's victims that ended with this: Be …

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UPDATED: Amy Senser Gets 41 Months; Compare to Sentences in Fridley Cases

Here is how people convicted in recent high-profile Fridley-related cases were sentenced.

Update (10:10 a.m.): Amy Senser was sentenced to 41 months in prison, according to KARE11—the low end of state sentencing guidelines for criminal vehicular homicide. Original post (9:30 a.m.): People are watching Monday morning for the sentencing of Amy Senser for the hit-and-run death of Anousone Phanthavong. The question: Does the punishment fit the crime? For comparison's sake, here are some sentences in Fridley-related cases over the last 18 months:

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Most Viewed in 2011: Top 50 Fridley Patch Posts of the Year (Nos. 31-35)

A car hit a boy on a bike, a body surfaced in the river, a jury found Ahmed Sule guilty.

Here are five more of the most-viewed posts of 2011 at Fridley Patch: 35. Fridley Father Dead from Sunday Shooting at Minneapolis Party Francisco German Hernandez, Jr., was 21. (Nov. 1, 2011) 34. Sule Guilty on 5 Counts in Fridley Sex Assault The jury convicted Sule of criminal sexual assault of an 84-year-old Fridley man in 2010. (Sept. 20, 2011) 33. 26 Fridley Runners Finish MedtronicTwin Cities Marathon Eight women and 18 men from Fridley completed the course. (Oct. 2, 2011) 32. Fridley Boy Hurt in Bike-Car Crash The 13-year-old bicyclist suffered head trauma. (July 15, 2011) 31. Fridley Fisherman Finds Body in Mississippi River under I-694 Police: 'It's been in water quite some time.' (May 20, 2011)

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Prosecutor, Fridley Police Comment on Sule Sentence

Neighbors, block captains praised.

The county prosecutor and Fridley police have made comments about last Friday's sentencing of Ahmed Sule to 28 years in prison for a sexual assault on an elderly Fridley resident last year. The Fridley Police Department issued a statement (see it here) thanking neighbors and praising block captains for their help: "Mr. Sule's sentencing is assurance to the Fridley Community that he will not be released for a very long time. ... On behalf of the Fridley Police Department we would like to thank you for partnering with us and helping to resolve this crime and others. We can't thank the block captains enough for helping to keep everyone informed." Assistant Anoka County Attorney Wade Kish had this comment by email: "I am pleased with the …

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Ahmed Sule Gets 28 Years for Fridley Sex Assault on Elderly Man

Victim's daughter recounts suffering; Sule says he's innocent.

Anoka County District Court Judge Tammi A. Frederickson sentenced Ahmed Sule to 28 years and 10 months in prison for a 2010 sexual attack on an elderly man in his home that shocked the #Fridley community. Sule maintained his innocence in a statement to the court just before Frederickson read his sentence. "I'm going to prison for something somebody else did," Sule said through an interpreter. In September, a jury found Sule guilty of four counts of criminal sexual conduct and one count of burglary for a Sept. 19, 2010, residential forced-entry and sexual assault on a blind, 84-year-old man in the 6800 block of Seventh Street NE. Frederickson said she relied on the jury's finding of aggravating factors in determining the sentence. "I cannot…

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Jury Finds Aggravating Factors in Fridley Sex-Assault Case

That lets Judge give Ahmed Sule a longer prison term at Ahmed Sule's Dec. 2 sentencing.

An Anoka County District Court jury decided Friday morning there were aggravating factors in the Sept. 19, 2010 Fridley sex-assault crimes they convicted Ahmed Sule of on Tuesday. The jury answered all six questions put to them about whether the victim's advanced age and infirm health made him vulnerable, and whether Sule knew or should have known about that vulnerability. The finding of aggravating factors allows Judge Tammi Frederickson to give Sule a sentence outside of Minnesota's sentencing guidelines. However, it does not require a longer sentence, defense attorney Jill Brisbois said in an interview. The Friday verdict brought to a close a two-week trial in a case that shook the Fridley community: the sexual assault of an 84-year-old…

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Update: Sule Breaks Down; Judge Orders New Competency Exam

Ahmed Sule will have a new review of his competency before sentencing in 2010 Fridley sexual assault.

Update (noon Wednesday): Anoka County District Judge Tammi A. Frederickson ordered a new test of Ahmed Sule's competency to stand trial after Sule broke down in court Wednesday morning. A jury convicted Sule Tuesday on five of six counts related the sexual assault of another Fridley resident in his home on Sept. 19, 2010. (The victim, who was 84 years old and blind, has since died.) Sule's defense attorney, Jill Brisbois, requested the new evaluation based on what she said she learned Wednesday: that despite repeated explanations of court proceedings, Sule only realized Wednesday morning that he had been convicted. Sule's new examination is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Anoka County Jail. Frederickson said she gave the examiner the …

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Sule Guilty on 5 Counts in Fridley Sex Assault

The jury convicted Sule of criminal sexual assault of an 84-year-old Fridley man in 2010.

Update (3 p.m. Tuesday): See a PDF of the six charges from the amended criminal complaint against Ahmed Sule, five of which a jury found him guilty of on Tuesday afternoon. A summary of the verdict: Count 1: Criminal sexual conduct, first degree. Guilty. Count 2: Attempted criminal sexual conduct, first degree. Not guilty. Count 3: Criminal sexual conduct, second degree. Guilty. Count 4: Burglary, first degree: Guilty. Count 5: Criminal sexual conduct, third degree. Guilty. Count 6: Criminal sexual conduct, fourth degree. Guilty. Update (2:30 p.m. Tuesday): A jury found Ahmed Sule guilty on five of six charges Tuesday, a year and a day after a crime that shocked Fridley: the sexual assault of an 84-year-old blind man in his home. The jury …

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At Ahmed Sule Trial, Video of Deceased Accuser

The Fridley man who alleged Sule sexually assaulted him a year ago has since died.