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Harford County resident Bryant Nakia White, 48, of Edgewood, was sentenced to multiple life sentences for the 2002 attack of a woman whose body was left on the side of the interstate off of Frenchtown Road near Port Deposit, prosecutors announced.
Investigators said that at approximately 4 a.m. on April 6, 2002, a truck driver noticed the body of a woman - whose name has not been released "due to the nature of the crimes committed” - in the ditch, prompting him to call 911 and provide emergency assistance.
Troopers from the North East Barrack along with EMS personnel responded to the scene to transport the woman to an area hospital for treatment and evaluation.
According to the Cecil County State's Attorney's Office, when investigators met with the victim she told them about "the brutal and horrifying attack she had endured" after leaving her Port Deposit home to search for her boyfriend.
Prosecutors say that the woman was approached by White, who asked what she was doing, drove away, only to return minutes later advising that he had found her boyfriend up the road.
"The victim was hesitant to get into the car, but did so in hopes of being reunited with her partner," they said. "Once in the vehicle, the man locked her in, drove to a different location, and brutalized her sexually and physically before dumping her unconscious body in a ravine."
Once she regained consciousness, the woman was naked and covered with injuries laying in cold water at the bottom of a ditch.
"With incredible strength and will to survive, the victim climbed out of the ravine, climbed over a chain linked fence, and began walking on the shoulder of I-95, where the truck driver stopped and offered her safety."
White remained elusive for more than two decades, until a match came through DNA testing in the cold case that confirmed Bryant White was the one who committed the crime, and he was arrested earlier this year and tried for the 21-year-old rape.
During the initial investigation, officials say that it was processed by crime scene technicians from the Maryland State Police Forensic Sciences Division, where evidence was collected, including photographs.
The initial investigation also included a forensic examination where DNA was collected and stored as evidence, according to investigators. During the course of the investigation, few leads were generated and the investigation was ultimately suspended for more than a decade.
In March 2020, the case was reopened by an investigator with the Maryland State Police Criminal Enforcement Division, despite not having any new DNA hits since the initial investigation.
According to investigators, state police requested assistance from the FBI Baltimore Division regarding their use of investigative genealogy, which led them to identify White as a person of interest.
"The crime that (White) committed is one of which words cannot accurately capture the horror of. The details of the case seem unimaginable and the stuff of tales, yet it happened," State's Attorney James Dellmyer said. "It happened and the victim not only survived that night, but also survived the next 21 years as well as through the trial she never thought would come.
White was convicted in October of:
- Attempted second-degree murder;
- Kidnapping;
- First-degree rape;
- First-degree sex offense.
He's been held in custody since his latest arrest.
"Although 'victim' is the technical term used, she is far from one; she is a survivor whose strength is limitless both as a source and in its inspiration to others," Dellmyer continued.
"(White) on the other hand, is a predator who has proven to be extremely dangerous to society and I am relieved to say that he will never again pose a threat to anyone else because of this sentence."
At sentencing, the judge who ordered multiple life sentences was incredulous and offered a lengthy statement.
"This court is rarely at a loss for words. But I struggle mightily to summon language adequate to the task of conveying the sheer horrific brutality established by the evidence of this case," Judge Cameron Brown said.
"Often, we (human beings) invent fictional evils to frighten each other. But the unfortunate lesson of history is that we needn't tax ourselves conjuring imaginary villains. We have no shortage of real ones."
Brown also addressed the victim while imposing the sentence.
"There is a resolve in living one's entire life knowing that the person who did this had not been brought to justice," Brown said. "There is a resolve in taking the witness stand and recounting and reliving a traumatic experience so extreme as to beyond what most could imagine.
"In this court's estimation, (the victim) is made of sterner stuff than most ... It has long been said that justice delayed is justice denied.
"Justice in this case shall be delayed no longer."
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