Jury convicts man in 1994 rape, slaying of woman

PONTIAC (AP) — A man already serving time in one murder case has been convicted in the sexual assault and slaying of a Detroit-area woman more than 22 years ago.

The Oakland Press of Pontiac reports that a jury found 45-year-old Brandon Gohagen guilty Tuesday of murder and criminal sexual conduct. He faces a July 19 sentencing.

Rosalia Brantley’s body was found rolled in a curtain in August 1994 in a Pontiac park. She had been beaten and stabbed. DNA evidence linked Gohagen in 2015 to Brantley’s death.

Defense attorney Michael McCarthy said Tuesday that the jury’s verdict will be appealed.

Gohagen pleaded guilty about two decades ago to second-degree murder and criminal sexual conduct in the 1995 rape and slaying of another Pontiac woman.