A Bear man convicted of raping three women over the course of seven years will spend the rest of his life in prison.
On June 18, 2018, the Wilmington Police Department charged 39-year-old Kili Mayfield with rape, strangulation, and assault.
Officials said that these charges stem from the investigation of a sexual assault that occurred in April 2017 in the City of Wilmington. During the course of the investigation, DNA evidence was collected and submitted for scientific testing and analysis. As a result of the testing, Mayfield was developed as a suspect.
On July 26, 2018, the Wilmington Police Department charged Mayfield with the 2010 and 2014 rapes of two additional women that also occurred in the City of Wilmington. On July 30, 2018, Mayfield was indicted by a New Castle County Grand Jury on charges related to all three sexual assaults.
These are the first arrests and indictments as part of a broader effort in Delaware to test previously untested sexual assault evidence kits, and thereby bring justice to victims, identify offenders, and help solve cold cases, according to police. With the combined assistance of the US Department of Justice Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI), the Delaware Attorney General’s Office, the Delaware Criminal Justice Council, and a dedicated working group, the Wilmington Police Department was able to connect Mayfield to the two additional sexual assaults from 2010 and 2014.
At the time of Mayfield’s arrest officials said, “While we cannot speak to the facts of the individual cases, we are grateful for the resources provided through the Delaware Criminal Justice Council that allowed us to leave no stone unturned in these cases.”
In a non-jury trial in July 2019, Mayfield, now 40, was convicted of four counts of Rape First Degree, four counts of Rape Second Degree, and one count each of Kidnapping First Degree, Strangulation, and Assault Third Degree.
Prosecutors announced on Friday that a Superior Court judge sentenced Mayfield to life plus 127 years in prison.