PORTLAND, Ore. — A former security guard who raped a woman inside a Portland Rite Aid store in 2015 was sentenced Friday to more than 16 years in prison, closing a case that lingered for nearly a decade.
A Long-Awaited Sentencing
Daniel Luis Cassinelli, a former loss prevention officer, was sentenced to 200 months in prison after being found guilty earlier this year in Multnomah County Court. Prosecutors said Cassinelli assaulted 34-year-old Maryann Stott in January 2015 after accusing her of shoplifting.
For Stott, the sentencing was a moment she once thought would never come. “I’ve been here since day one, and I had to see him go in handcuffs,” she said.
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Assault and Aftermath
According to prosecutors, Cassinelli raped Stott and then threatened to report her to police if she disclosed the assault. She underwent a forensic sexual assault exam shortly after the incident, but initial testing failed to produce enough evidence to link Cassinelli to the crime.
Years passed without progress. Stott admitted she began to lose hope of ever seeing justice served. “I would say the first five years up until 2022,” she explained.
Breakthrough from Sexual Assault Kit Initiative
The case was revived under the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, a federal grant program that funds advanced testing for previously untested rape kits. The new testing provided the evidence needed to pursue charges against Cassinelli.
“This was an incredibly unlikely scenario for someone like Ms. Stott to get justice,” said Deputy District Attorney Quinn Zemel. He noted the initiative has made it possible to prosecute cases once considered unsolvable.
Strength and Forgiveness
Zemel praised Stott’s resilience, saying she not only endured the long legal process but also used her voice to encourage other survivors. “She has continued to put herself out there to signal to other people in similar positions to her that it’s okay to come forward,” he said.
Stott told the court that while she still carries pain from the assault, she has chosen forgiveness. “I have a lot of anger towards him for what he did to me, but today, I can let all of that go,” she said. “I can let go and just work on myself.”
Her message to other survivors was simple yet powerful: “Justice does prevail.”
Resources for Survivors
Help is available for anyone who has experienced sexual assault:
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Sexual Assault Resource Center: (503) 626-9100, located at 4900 SW Griffith Drive, Ste. 135, Beaverton, OR 97005.
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RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-HOPE (4673) or rainn.org. Available 24/7.
