LEE COUNTY, Fla. -- A man convicted by DNA of sexual assault in a 1998 case in Fort Myers Beach will spend seven years in prison.
According to the State Attorney's Office, 53-year-old Cornelius Florman was sentenced Tuesday morning. His sentence also includes eight years of sex offender probation.
Florman was arrested in 2017 in Virginia after he was identified by a sexual assault kit that was tested following a national backlog.
On June 22, 1998, deputies say a woman said she was leaving a bar when she was approached by a man known to her as "Cody" for a ride to the beach. The woman said she agreed, and when she was driving, the man punched her in the face, causing her to lose consciousness. She then woke up in a wooded area, and discovered she was sexually assaulted.
At Tuesday's sentencing, the victim provided the following statement:
“It's been a long time coming to finally be able to put the events of … behind me. I've been looking over my shoulder ever since the attack, wondering who it was and why this was done to me. Recurrent nightmares and insomnia have plagued me. I really thought I was going to die right then and there. Fast forward to the past couple of years where I find myself having to relive it all again. The stress of bringing this man to justice has been immense, but it is now well worth it. A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders knowing he is going to prison and unable to hurt another woman. I want to thank everyone in the Justice system that has had any part in this case. I've been in a prison of sorts for over 20 years. Closing the jail door on you Mr. Florman is finally setting me free.”
