Austin Ramsey
News Editor
The almost two-year-old case against an Indiana man charged with sexually assaulting a female Murray State student came to an end Monday.
Calloway County Circuit Court Judge Dennis Foust sentenced Brandon McManomy, 25, of Vanderburgh County, Ind., to 15 years in prison on charges stemming from the incident.
The attack occurred Aug. 31, 2010 at an off-campus location, but sources said days after the incident they believe McManomy followed the student after an altercation that had occurred in the Roy Stewart Stadium parking lot.
Sources with the Murray Police Department said they believed McManomy knew the student well.
Monday’s sentencing comes after several months of deliberation on the part of the state, after McManomy agreed to an Alford plea agreement on first-degree criminal abuse, first-degree unlawful imprisonment and violation of an out-of-state emergency protective and domestic violence orders in the case.
The original plea, agreed to by his then defense attorney Dennis Null and Commonwealth Attorney Mark Blankenship, did not admit guilt to any of the charges, but rather acknowledged that the Commonwealth had enough evidence to convict.
But in December, McManomy sought new defense and asked Judge Foust to set aside that plea agreement.
McManomy hired Defense Attorney Casey Naber, who told the court McManomy’s past defense had not been transparent with him regarding the plea agreement.
After several months, Foust announced his decision to hold the original plea and sentence McManomy.
The victim’s father was given the opportunity to address the court. He read a short statement as to how the attack had impacted his daughter and family.