Antoine Pettis pleads not guilty, accused of sexually assaulting 101-year-old woman

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- 24-year-old Antoine Pettis pleaded not guilty and not guilty by reason of mental disease/defect on Tuesday, December 2nd to multiple charges in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a 101-year-old woman.

Pettis was charged on November 18th after he was identified by familial DNA and later confessed to the sexual assault of the woman. The charges he now faces include: burglary, aggravated battery and second-degree sexual assault.

In an interview with investigators, Pettis admitted to entering the woman’s home near 35th and Florist around 2:00 a.m. on September 1st. Pettis said he went into the home with another suspect with the intention of burglarizing it. When he found nothing that he wanted to steal, Pettis admitted to sexually assaulting the victim and fleeing the scene.

Pettis left behind DNA evidence at the scene. The State Crime Lab used that DNA to narrow down the list of possible suspects. On November 13th, detectives from MPD’s Sensitive Crimes Division identified Pettis after his DNA revealed familial traits with those of a male relative of his, which was already in a DNA database. Police say they had Pettis’ DNA on file from a paternity case last year.

Investigators brought Pettis in for questioning at which time he confessed to the crime.

If convicted, Pettis faces more than 58 years in prison.

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