Suspect facing up to 63 years in rape case
BUTLER COUNTY — A man who allegedly sexually assaulted a Miami University student 16 years ago faces up to 63 years in prison after he changed his not guilty plea to guilty Thursday before Butler County Common Pleas Judge Keith Spaeth.
Lloyd Ailes, 59, a construction worker in Oxford in 2006, pleaded guilty to all six first-degree felonies that included gun specifications. As Spaeth read the counts and the gun specifications, Ailes, sitting next to attorney David Washington, repeated “guilty” 12 times.
Counts one and two were for rape, counts three and four were for aggravated burglary and counts five and six were for aggravated robbery. All charges carry a gun specification, alleging a gun was used.
His sentencing was set for
1:30 p.m. June 30.
Prior to his sentencing, Ailes will be evaluated and either classified a sexually orientated offender or a sexual predator, Spaeth said. Based on the findings, he either will have to register with the sheriff ’s office where he lives for 10 years or be classified a sexual predator the rest of his life.
Each of the six counts carries a mandatory prison sentence of three to 10 years with a three-year gun specification and a $20,000 fine, the judge said.
The state was represented by Lindsey Sheehan and Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser.
Ailes was taken into custody Dec. 9, 2021 in Connersville, Indiana, by Ohio law enforcement, based on evidence pieced together by DNA tracing.
The indictment came after a lengthy investigation by the Butler County Prosecutor’s Office using DNA genealogy tracing. The investigation was led by county prosecutor’s investigator Paul Newton.
The assault occurred Jan. 9, 2006 at an off-campus house, according to the indictment and Gmoser.
Ailes wore a mask, but his face was visible to the woman for a brief time and a sketch of the suspect was developed. His DNA also was found. After forcing the woman to commit several sex acts, Ailes took $60 from her purse, Gmoser said.
In March 2006, a similar attack happened in Fayette County, Indiana. DNA collected there matched the DNA in the Oxford case. However, there was no match to DNA entered in any law enforcement database. The case went cold until following the DNA through genealogy pointed to the accused.
Gmoser said his office had been working for years with experts from Parabon NanoLabs to track down the suspect using genealogy DNA databases to piece together a family tree of the suspect.
Investigators were able to find the suspect’s father, and then eventually found his mother. But the man did not know he had fathered the son and the mother didn’t know her husband was not the father, Gmoser said.