Convicted rapist charged with robbery in 30-year-old case

Prosecutors on Monday filed first-degree robbery charges in a 30-year-old case against a Cape Girardeau man who was convicted of raping a 15-year-old girl in 1982.

Charles Eugene O'Howell, 50, on Feb. 10, 1982, broke into a Cape Girardeau home and stole $50 from the resident at gunpoint, according to a warrant for his arrest.

The 46-year-old female resident, caring for her elderly mother, heard a noise in the family room. Upon investigation, she found an intruder standing in the room "holding a long-barrel gun," a probable-cause statement said.

The intruder said he did not want to hurt her, and only wanted cash, the statement said. The resident gave the intruder $50 and he fled into the woods behind the home, according to the statement. Investigators followed his tracks for about three miles to another residential area, but lost the trail, the statement said.

In 2011, investigators questioned O'Howell at the Northeast Correctional Center in Bowling Green, Mo., where he's serving a 55-year sentence for raping a 15-year-old girl. When informed of the case, O'Howell said, "Yes, I did that, but I did not sexually assault that woman or nothing."

Cape Girardeau County assistant prosecutor Jack Koester said a preliminary hearing in the robbery case for O'Howell is scheduled for 10 a.m. July 24. O'Howell is scheduled for another rape trial Oct. 30.

Last July, he was charged with raping a then-31-year-old woman in 1981 after prosecutors said DNA evidence connected him to the crime.

Chris Heeb, O'Howell's attorney in the rape case, asked for a change of venue because of the publicity about his case generated by the Southeast Missourian. Cape Girardeau County Circuit Judge Benjamin Lewis in November denied the motion.

jgamm@semissourian.com

388-3635

Pertinent address:

101 Court St., Jackson, Mo.