Man Pleads Guilty in Midland Cold Case Rape

A 59-year-old man could spend up to 15 years in prison for raping a woman in 1996.

Douglas Weber pleaded guilty last Friday to third-degree criminal sexual conduct for assault an 18-year-old woman in Midland County’s Larkin Township after her car broke down. Prosecutors say Weber offered the woman a ride home but instead drove her to a field and forced himself on her. She was later admitted to a hospital where a rape test was done. However, the test remained in evidence for decades before funding became available to test old rape kits.

Using genealogy and ancestral DNA, investigators were able to come up with a genetic match in Weber. The woman, now in her 40s, was present in the courtroom last Friday. Weber’s sentencing will take place March 7.