ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 25 (UPI) -- A Florida jury has ruled that a convicted serial rapist must complete his prison sentence and decided he then be sent to a treatment facility.
The jury on Wednesday deemed Tommie Lee Andrews, 49, a sexually violent predator, a designation that allows the state to send him to a sexual-treatment center under a civil-commitment act, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
The decision came after three days of testimony from experts, retired law enforcement officers and five women who were victimized.
Andrews served 25 years in prison for raping two women in the late 1980s. He was scheduled to be released Oct. 31. However, the Jimmie Ryce Act can prevent a violent criminal from being set free. Andrews acted as his own attorney at the civil commitment trial.
"This is the right verdict," said Nancy Hodge, who was raped and stabbed by Andrews in 1987. "He is a sexually violent predator."
