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Convicted Brevard County Rapist Sentenced To Three Life Terms

Posted: 4:19 pm EST December 11, 2006Updated: 5:29 pm EST December 11, 2006

A man convicted of raping three Brevard County women will spend the rest of his life in prison. Carlos Rhynes was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences Monday afternoon.

Short of an appeal, Rhynes will spend the rest of his life behind bars. Monday, two of his victims presented written statements to the judge and another spoke directly to the judge.

Gone are the tie and jacket worn while Carlos Rhynes represented himself at trial. He will long wear the uniform of an inmate, now sentenced to more than three lifetimes in prison. In a way, one victim spoke for all of them.

"I tell you, I'm just praying for closure, a maximum sentence, so I no longer have to be reminded of that night. And most importantly, so that he can't hurt us or anyone else again," a victim told the judge Monday.

To the end, Rhynes denied climbing into homes and sexually assaulting each woman while she slept, despite overwhelming DNA evidence at the trial two months ago.

"The victims, I understand them being sour about the situation. Yes, if it was me, I would be also. But I am not the one that did this to them," Rhynes said.

Judge Meryl Allawas sided with jurors and the state.

"These offenses in and of themselves show him to be a danger to the public and a danger to the community, such that the court cannot ignore," she said.

Prosecutors got exactly what it asked for Monday, three consecutive life sentences and 45 more years, in case that weren't enough.

Rhynes' siblings also spoke to the judge Monday, saying he was always a good brother and did not have a violent past.

Rhynes still faces six rape counts in Orange County, but his attorneys said the first order of business is to appeal the ruling in Monday's cases.