Chicago man resentenced in 2010 Wheeling rape
A man whose 2011 rape conviction was overturned now has pleaded guilty in exchange for a sentence that is less than half the original 30 years.
Matthew Schaffer of Chicago pleaded guilty Tuesday to aggravated criminal sexual assault and was sentenced to 14 years in prison. He received credit for four years in custody and must complete at least 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole, meaning he could be released in about eight years. Upon his release, Schaffer must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
Schaffer originally was convicted in June 2011 of breaking into a Wheeling condominium, raping a woman and stealing her money and property - including a watch and her wedding ring. But the Illinois Appellate Court overturned the conviction,
Co-defense counsel Darryl Goldberg said Schaffer was interested in resolving the charges against him.
"He wanted to avoid the uncertainty of another trial," added lead defense attorney Ralph Meczyk.
The Appellate Court overturned Schaffer's conviction after finding that prosecutors improperly asked Schaffer to comment on the credibility of another witness, specifically the victim, who lives in another state and was in Wheeling visiting friends on May 23, 2010, the night she was attacked.
During his trial, Schaffer, a self-confessed marijuana dealer, claimed the woman bought marijuana from him and that the sex was consensual.
The victim testified she and her friend returned to the condo her friend owned with her husband at about 2:20 a.m. after spending the evening in Chicago. The woman described waking up in the guest room to find a man wearing a pantyhose mask and rubber globes brandishing a knife and a small gun which - at the time - the victim believed to be real.
After handcuffing her hands behind her back, he sexually assaulted her and repeatedly threatened to kill her, the woman testified.
The friend's husband testified that the following morning he discovered the screen door leading to the balcony, which he had locked the previous night, was sliced open.
Police identified Schaffer from a receipt and video surveillance taken at the Chicago shop where he pawned the woman's jewelry. From the receipt they determined Schaffer's name and the Highland Park address where he had lived. From his bedroom, police recovered an open package of pantyhose. From a garbage can they recovered rubber gloves and from his car they recovered a replica .380 handgun prosecutors said he used during the sexual assault.
After deliberating nearly 17 hours over two days, the six-man, six-woman jury convicted Schaffer in June 2011 of aggravated criminal sexual assault, home invasion and armed robbery.