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Huber gets 195 years for six sexual assaults

Photo

Photo by Kyle Bursaw

Michael R. Huber reads a statement to the court before the Judge James Daley delivered a 195 year sentence to him.

Photo

Photo by Kyle Bursaw

Michael R. Huber listens to the statements of the victims of his crimes before the Judge James Daley delivered a 195 year sentence to him.

JANESVILLE — One by one, six women confronted the Janesville serial rapist, calling him an animal who should die in prison for attacking them.

"You are nothing but an evil bastard," one woman said.

"I am a different person because of this monster," a second woman said.

"Today is the day you become history. I am taking my life back, and you have lost yours,"

a third woman said.

"I constantly look in my rearview mirror to see if anyone is following me," a fourth woman said.

"All of us victims have to deal with this for the rest our lives," a fifth woman said.

"(He) is a self-centered, self-serving opportunistic criminal," the last woman said.

Michael R. Huber, 33, was sentenced in Rock County Court on Friday to 195 years in prison followed by 60 years extended supervision for six felony charges of first-degree sexual assault. He had pleaded guilty to the charges.

Six victims and their families, law enforcement officials and Huber's family packed the courtroom. People sobbed throughout the hearing.

The courtroom erupted in applause after Huber was sentenced. People stood and hugged. Many cried. One woman shouted to Huber, "Rot in hell," and a man shouted, "Yeah."

Huber admitted to six home invasions and sometimes rapes from 1998 to 2005, but he was only charged in two of the cases, attorneys said. He was arrested in February 2008 after a 10-year investigation.

All six victims spoke about how their attacks changed their lives.

The first woman—raped Aug. 3, 1998, when she was 26—said she hasn't been a patient mother, loving sister or good daughter since her rape.

She said she suffers from constant fear, nightmares, anxiety and self-doubt. She added she has had problems with alcohol and prescription drugs.

It's hard to trust people or God, she said, and counseling hasn't helped.

The second victim—raped July 9, 1999, when she was 23—said that night changed her forever.

Relationships seem out of reach, she said, and it's difficult to let anyone into her heart.

Fear is constant, she said.

"I don't sleep sound," she said, fighting tears. "I wake in the middle of the night. I lock my bedroom door."

The third victim—attacked Oct. 14, 2000, when she was 33—said her then 7-year-old son saved her from getting raped.

Her son called 911, causing Huber to flee, she said.

The boy remembers his mom and sister being in danger, she said, and he remembers making that phone call.

"My son is my hero," the woman said. "I want the world to know how proud of him I was that day."

The fourth victim—attacked May 8, 2001, when she was 31—said the incident has made her stronger.

"You have changed the course of my life in a matter of moments," she said. "But I want you to know you have not ruined me."

The woman, who was not raped, told Huber he is "pathetic," "pitiful" and an "animal."

"I hope your own reflection makes you sick," she said.

She asked the judge to lock him in prison for life.

"You will never be able to lay your dirty hands on another woman as long as you live," she said. "You will be locked up like the animal you are."

The fifth victim—raped Aug. 20, 2003, when she was 13—said the victims have to deal with their attacks forever.

The teen's mother, crying in the courtroom, said her daughter double checks the locks obsessively and remains afraid.

She said her daughter is tough, smart and determined not to let her rape change her. She called raping a teen girl unforgivable.

"Michael Huber robbed her of her innocence," the woman said.

The sixth victim—attacked July 27, 2005 when she was 37—said Huber bragged about his crimes and eluding police while in her home.

Huber didn't rape her, but he tormented her in a cat-and-mouse game of questions about her life, she said.

Huber appeared in court shackled around his wrists and ankles. He had a shaved head and trimmed beard. He wore an orange jail uniform. He was wearing his wedding ring.

He looked forward and down during most of the hearing.

Huber told the judge and victims he had selfish desires.

"Sex with beautiful women—not rape—was my only motive," he said. "Now I see my few minutes of pleasure has caused you a lifetime of pain."

Huber, his voice quivering, said sorry to his victims, sorry to Janesville residents and sorry to his family, including his wife and young daughter. He said he prays for forgiveness.

"My greed and stupidity has ruined lives," he said.

Prosecutor Mary Bricco said Huber lacks character and remorse.

He saw women as objects, and he compared one rape to consensual sex, she said.

"He's a sick and demented man," Bricco said. "He describes himself as being ‘horny.'"

Huber told the author of the pre-sentence investigation report he had gone into other women's garages but then left, Bricco said.

Huber's attorney, Joshua Klaff, denied that accusation. He said Huber has accepted responsibility for all his crimes.

Huber was using alcohol and marijuana at the time of the rapes, Klaff said.

He quit committing the crimes in 2005 after getting married and having a daughter, Klaff said.

"This is a story of two people, a little bit of a Jekyll and Hyde," he said.

Judge James Daley, while sentencing Huber, said he doesn't believe Huber stopped the rapes in 2005. He said many sexual assaults go unreported.

"You, Mr. Huber, should be imprisoned at least as long as these victims are imprisoned," Daley said. "For them, it's a life sentence."