Authorities in Minnesota said that what habitual violent criminal Christopher M. Strong Sr. did to his girlfriend — holding her captive for three days last year while he beat and repeatedly raped her, then pushing her in front a moving car — was "one of the most brutal" sexual assault cases that prosecutors have ever brought before a federal court.
It was time, they asserted, to acknowledge the "shocking reality" that the 36-year-old Strong is a "sadistic … rapist" who is "incapable of living a law-abiding life" and must be locked up for life.
Federal Judge Richard Kyle, however, rejected the argument for a life sentence and gave the resident of the Red Lake Indian Reservation a 30-year prison term, still far more than the 4½ years he was given for a similar offense he committed in 2009 against his ex-wife.
"Any woman who is romantically involved with the defendant is in grave danger," the prosecution argued in a court filing leading up to the sentence in Duluth. "The only way to protect the public from a career criminal like [Strong] is to keep him incarcerated for the rest of his life."
Strong's defense, in its pre-sentencing argument, sought a prison term of no more than 15 years. It noted that Strong had "a decent childhood," but the difficult atmosphere on the reservation led him to a life of substance abuse, suicide attempts and repeated criminal offenses.
According to the criminal complaint and other court documents:
On June 8, 2014, police and emergency medical personnel were called to Hwy. 1, just east of Red Lake, about a vehicle hitting a pedestrian. Moments later, a car passed by and was flashing its lights at the officers.
Police caught up with the passing vehicle at the Red Lake Hospital, where a woman was being treated for numerous wounds, including a broken lower left leg, where the bone was protruding. She also was bruised on her face, arms, torso and legs.
