S.C. Man Gets 421 Years in Bunker Case
Wednesday September 19, 2007 6:46 PM
By BRUCE SMITH
Associated Press Writer
BEAUFORT, S.C. (AP) - A South Carolina man was sentenced Wednesday to
the maximum 421 years in prison for kidnapping a teenager and raping
her in an underground bunker.
Moments before his trial was to begin Tuesday, Vinson Filyaw pleaded
guilty to kidnapping and 10 counts of criminal ***ual conduct, one for
each day prosecutors said he held the girl captive a year ago in
Kershaw County.
The teen was rescued after he sent a cell phone text message to her
mother more than a week after her abduction.
``I have a strong belief you have forfeited your right to be a member
of this society,'' Judge G. Thomas Cooper said before handing down the
sentence. ``I can think of no crimes short of murder more repulsive
than these.''
