Recruiter convicted of rape after suicide attempt

VANCOUVER, Wash. – An Army recruiter who had served in Bosnia, Kosovo and Iraq has been convicted of raping a 6-year-old girl, a verdict rendered within hours after he nearly killed himself.

Maj. Osadebe M. “Paul” Anene, 49, a divorced father of five, went home and took an overdose of medication the morning after the girl and her teenage sister testified against him in Clark County Superior Court, Judge Roger A. Bennett and lawyers for both sides were told.

Anene called 911 from his apartment and emergency personnel found him lying on his back about 7 a.m. Wednesday in full military dress, a large cross on his chest and a Bible by his side, police said. No pulse was detected, but medics managed to revive him. He was admitted to Southwest Washington Medical Center.

Bennett rejected a defense motion for a mistrial, the case proceeded without the jury being told why Anene was not in court, and the panel deliberated less than an hour before convicting him on all counts later Wednesday.

A day later he was still listed in serious condition.

Anene could be sentenced to more than 18 years in prison because the jury found aggravating circumstances that could justify a sentence longer than provided in state guidelines.

The teenager testified that he abused her for years and threatened to kill their mother, who now lives with the children in Texas. He could not be prosecuted for those alleged actions because both he and the victims lived in Germany and elsewhere before moving to Vancouver in 2005, Deputy Prosecutor Kimberly R. Farr said.