Convicted Rapist Faces 106 Years in Prison

Members of an Anne Arundel County jury needed only three hours of deliberation Wednesday to reach a guilty verdict in the sexual abuse trial of John Michael Winner of Crofton.

Winner was convicted of sexually abusing a minor and four accounts of raping a teenage girl in Crofton.

According to WBAL-TV, Winner, 39, abused the girl over a course of two years beginning in 2010. She was 14 when the abuse began, and reported the abuse when she was 16.

The teen told authorities that Winner had groped her on two instances and forcibly held her down and raped her on four occasions.

The trial began on Tuesday and ended on Wednesday afternoon, according to the South River Source.

“It took tremendous courage for this young woman to come forward and face her abuser,” said States Attorney Anne Colt Leitess according to WBAL-TV. “At trial, the state asked the jurors to end her nightmare. We are happy with this verdict and hope it will do just that. … This verdict takes a dangerous predator off our county’s streets for hopefully the rest of his life.”

Winner’s conviction carries a maximum penalty of 106 years in prison; he will be sentenced on July 30.