A West Point man has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to raping two women in Clay County more than a decade ago, 16th Circuit District Attorney Scott Colom said in a press release issued Tuesday.
Frederick Fitzgerald Gandy, 58, was sentenced to a mandatory 25 years in prison for raping two women in 2003.
“Prosecuting those who violate women’s bodies and freedom is a fundamental part of our mission to ensure justice and public safety,” Colom said in the release. “… These cases are a testament to the dedication of our team and the power of modern forensic technology in delivering justice.”
At a press conference following Gandy’s arrest, one victim, Nashedra Strong-Clay said she reached out to then West Point Police Detective Ramirez Ivy in April 2022, asking him to reopen the case. In July 2022, Ivy submitted unexamined physical evidence to the Mississippi State Crime Lab for DNA testing, the release said.
A forensic specialist developed a DNA profile based on the evidence, which was then entered in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a database that contains DNA profiles from individuals arrested and convicted of crimes.
The breakthrough came when Gandy was arrested elsewhere, and his DNA was already in the system, allowing Gandy to be matched to the crime against Strong-Clay. Gandy was arrested July 17, 2022, Colom said at the press conference following the arrest.
Gandy was initially charged only with the January 2003 rape and attempted murder of Strong-Clay. But as detectives continued the investigation, they uncovered evidence of a second sexual assault that had happened hours earlier on the same night, the release said.
“We didn’t make this discovery until we were deep into the initial investigation,” Ivy said in the release. “It became clear that there was another victim that night, and we pursued every lead to ensure justice was served.”
Despite a 19-year time gap and the absence of the original victim and investigators, Detective Raven Ross located evidence within the department’s logging system and submitted it to a private crime lab for testing. The evidence linked Gandy to the second victim, solidifying his pattern of predatory behavior, the release said.
Colom credited staff at WPPD, the State Crime Lab and his office with bringing Gandy to justice and praised the victims for their courage.
“Their patience, courage and resilience have been instrumental in bringing Frederick Gandy to justice,” he said. “We hope this resolution provides them with a measure of peace after so many years.”
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