MADISON, Wis. – Attorney General Josh Kaul today announced that Kevin J. McDowell, age 39, of Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced to 20 years of initial confinement and 15 years of extended supervision for a sexual assault that occurred in 2017. A Dane County jury found Mr. McDowell guilty of Second Degree Sexual Assault by Use of Force on January 13, 2023. This conviction for Second Degree Sexual Assault by Use of Force is the defendant’s 57th overall criminal conviction.
This sexual assault took place in 2017. The victim went to the hospital where a sexual assault nurse examination was conducted. The defendant’s DNA from the sexual assault kit in this case hit to another sexual assault kit, which was tested as part of Wisconsin Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI). The jury was presented with evidence pertaining to the SAKI case as an Other Act applicable to the defendant’s motive, intent, and plan.
“This sentence ensures that the defendant who committed this serious violent crime will be behind bars for a long time,” said Attorney General Kaul. “Thank you to the brave survivor who reported to law enforcement and the many criminal justice professionals whose work brought the defendant to justice.”
“Today’s sentencing of Kevin J. McDowell was an example of what can happen when we work together to hold people who commit sexual assault accountable,” said Madison Police Detective Kathryn Peterson. “This case involved prosecutors and staff, detectives, SANE nurses, sexual assault advocates, and, most importantly, the victim herself all working together. A very dangerous man will no longer be able to do harm to anyone in the community for the next 20 years. I commend everyone in this case for their hard work, and especially the victim for her strength and bravery.”
This prosecution was the result of a joint effort by the Wisconsin Sexual Assault Kit Initiative team at the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ), the Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), the City of Madison Police Department, and the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory, in partnership with the Dane County District Attorney’s Office.
The case was prosecuted by DOJ Assistant Attorneys General Stephanie Hilton and Noel Lawrence, with assistance from Paralegal Amelia Boruch. Victim services were provided by the Dane County District Attorney’s Office, with victim advocacy and support provided by Legal Action of Wisconsin, advocates from the RCC Sexual Violence Resource Center, and volunteers from Every Daughter. The criminal complaint is available on request.
View the press release here.
