© 2025 Michigan State University Board of Trustees
Public Media from Michigan State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Jury Convicts Man In Detroit-Area Woman's 1994 Rape, Slaying

Gavel
s_falkow
/
flickr creative commons
Brandon Gohagen was found guilty of murder and criminal sexual misconduct

A man already serving time in one murder case has been convicted in the sexual assault and slaying of a Detroit-area woman more than 22 years ago.

The Oakland Press of Pontiac reports (http://bit.ly/2ssBcaI ) that a jury found 45-year-old Brandon Gohagen guilty Tuesday of murder and criminal sexual conduct. He faces a July 19 sentencing.

Rosalia Brantley's body was found rolled in a curtain in August 1994 in a Pontiac park, northwest of Detroit. She had been beaten and stabbed. DNA evidence linked Gohagen in 2015 to Brantley's death.

Defense attorney Michael McCarthy said Tuesday that the jury's verdict will be appealed.

Gohagen pleaded guilty about two decades ago to second-degree murder and criminal sexual conduct in the 1995 rape and slaying of another Pontiac woman.

Related Content
Together we’ve already reduced WKAR’s $1.6 million budget gap created by the loss of federal funding. With your sustaining support we can close the remaining $500,000 gap and keep trusted public media strong for mid-Michigan. The best way to support WKAR is to become a sustainer. Already a sustainer? Please consider upgrading your current monthly gift.