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Christian Bonnette, 37, of Harrisburg, was convicted of attempted rape and three counts of aggravated assault earlier this week for the Aug. 20, 2018, attack, as stated in the release by the DA.
Bonnette was at the hospital awaiting surgery on a broken jaw he sustained during a fight, the DA says.
At approximately 1:00 a.m., Bonnette awoke and called for a nurse only to grabbed her and force her into his room, shutting the door behind him, according to the release.
Another nurse and the nurse’s aid saw and ran to the room to help her as he strangled the first nurse, as stated in the release.
All three victims were strangled and punched in the face by Bonnette during the attack, according to the release.
One nurse was saved by a male nurse who burst into the room and found that Bonnette had removed her scrub pants and was trying to rape her, according to the release.
During the trial Bonnette's counsel maintained that "he did not have the specific intent to commit the crimes and that they were 'involuntary' on his part," as stated in the release.
Following his conviction Bonnette was ordered to undergo an evaluation by the Sexual Offender’s Assessment Board.
He bail has been increased to $250,000 due to his new convict and given "his significant criminal history for burglary, assaultive behavior, and drug offenses," the DA says.
His sentencing is scheduled for May 3, 2022.
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