Serial Rapist Sentenced for Pierce County Attacks on Women He Arranged to Meet Online

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A serial rapist who arranged meetings with women online and then attacked them at knifepoint in Pierce County has been sentenced.

Superior Court Judge Philip Sorensen gave Navin Avery Milko 50 years, two months to life Friday. That means the state's Indeterminate Sentence Review Board will decide when or if Milko is released.

Jurors convicted the 26-year-old of first-degree rape, two counts of attempted first-degree rape, two counts of second-degree burglary, first-degree burglary, two counts of attempted first-degree kidnapping, attempted first-degree burglary and felony harassment earlier this year.

They found him not guilty of two counts of attempted first-degree robbery.

Deputy prosecutor Rosie Martinelli requested the sentence, which was above the standard range.

"The defendant is clearly a sexual predator by any definition," and his behavior was "purposeful, premeditated and dangerous," Martinelli told the court.

He served several years in prison for "the exact same thing" in Florida and, days after his release, "immediately reoffended when he got to Washington," she said.

In a sentencing memo to the court, Martinelli wrote that Milko "preyed on one of the most exposed segments of the population: female prostitutes."

The memo said all five women testified and that they "described their serious trepidation about contacting or cooperating with police as they feared being arrested, judged and disbelieved by police and the court system. This is exactly what the defendant relied on."

Defense attorney Mark Quigley argued for a lesser sentence of 28 years to life.

Quigley said Milko would be a different person decades from now and that the ISRB will be "in the best position to evaluate" whether Mr. Milko is a danger to the community at that time.



Milko's father also addressed the court. He said he was speechless.

Milko was a straight A student through high school, played football and was in a marching band, his father told the court.

He said his son is a good kid who made horrible choices, and he asked that the 26-year-old get a mental health evaluation.

The judge told the father he didn't dispute his observations of his son.

Sorensen explained: "I did note the remarkable similarities between past behavior that resulted in Mr. Milko being in prison in Florida, and the current behavior," jurors found him guilty of.

Society needs to be protected from that, the judge said. Then he handed down Milko's sentence.

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