Amid Parental Support, Man Admits to Rape

A man whose parents went to jail rather than testify against him in a rape case pleaded guilty Friday to aggravated sexual assault.

Craig Yandow, 26, will serve at least 20 years in prison for the Feb. 14, 1996, rape of a woman who was found beaten, unconscious with a fractured skull and half-naked in 10-degree weather near downtown Burlington’s central business district.

The victim and her parents were in court Friday for the plea bargain, under which prosecutors will seek a prison sentence of 20 to 38 years.

Prosecutors said the woman, who has no memory of the rape, endorsed the deal.

Yandow’s parents, Arthur and Geneva Yandow, citing a “parent-child privilege” and later their religious beliefs, were jailed for refusing to give evidence about their son’s possible involvement in the crime.

The elder Yandows were freed 41 days later, only after Yandow was arrested and charged with the crime in May.

Prosecutor Scot Kline said crime scene evidence included Yandow’s footprints in the fresh snow, Yandow’s blue winter jacket with hairs matching Yandow’s and the victim’s, and semen with DNA that matched Yandow’s.

Yandow’s attorney, John Pacht, said he will ask for a shorter jail term based on Yandow’s “diminished capacity” at the time of the assault, a reference to Yandow’s alcohol use. No date has been set for sentencing.