EAST LANSING, Mich. — Judge Rosemarie Aquilina sentenced 27-year-old Vernon resident Oswald Scott Wilder Jr. to 46 to 100 years in prison yesterday, Dec. 18 in Ingham County Circuit Court.
For close to six months in 2013, the East Lansing community lived in fear upon news of a series of physical and sexual assaults against women in which the suspect remained at large. East Lansing Police Department (ELPD) detectives worked tirelessly on the case and were ultimately successful in taking a sexual predator off the streets of East Lansing.
Upon his arrest by ELPD on August 23, 2013, Wilder confessed to sexually assaulting or attempting to sexually assault four female MSU students in the City of East Lansing from March 30, 2013 to May 16, 2013. In court, he pleaded guilty to one count first-degree criminal sexual assault, two counts of assault with intent to commit sexual penetration and one count gross indecency by a sexually delinquent person.
ELPD detectives were able to develop probable cause in this case with the assistance of the Michigan State Police, the Michigan State University Police Department, the Meridian Township Police Department, the Shiawassee County Sheriff’s Office, the Vernon Police Department and Meijer Loss Prevention.
“We were pleased to hear that Wilder received the maximum sentence allowable for the crimes he committed,” said East Lansing Police Chief Juli Liebler. “We hope the victims will find some peace in knowing that he will be going away for a long time.”