FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - A man who pleaded guilty in connection to a rape case that went cold for decades has finally been sentenced.

Wednesday, a judge in Allen Superior Court handed 56-year-old David Kerner 30 years in prison, which is nearly the same amount of time he eluded authorities all those years prior.

Kerner was accused of attacking a woman on a trail near the boat ramp in Shoaff Park back in 1997. Investigators determined she was raped and beaten at knifepoint.

The Fort Wayne Police Department said it wasn’t until 2024 that the rape kit was sent out for DNA testing. Although it wasn’t clear why the kit hadn’t been sent out sooner in the investigation, an officer who spoke with WANE 15 earlier this year said the guidelines for submitting evidence for testing were much strict

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