Man accused of sexually assaulting woman in cemetery deemed sexually violent predator
By Kaitlin Corbett
Click here for updates on this story
MANCHESTER, N.H. (WMUR) — A man accused of violently attacking and raping a woman in a Manchester cemetery in 2021 is being civilly committed after a yearslong legal battle.
Amuri Diole was found incompetent to stand trial for charges related to that incident, but he will still remain in custody.
A judge agreed with prosecutors Wednesday and ruled that Diole is a sexually violent predator.
Under New Hampshire law, a sexually violent predator is “a person who has been convicted of a sexually violent offense and suffers from a mental abnormality or personality disorder that makes the person likely to engage in sexual violence if not confined in a secure facility for long-term control, care and treatment.”
This type of civil commitment is rare, and it will keep Diole in custody for up to five more years.
Before the 2021 assault, prosecutors said they tried to have Diole held on separate assault charges, but he was released. Shortly after, he was accused of sexually assaulting a woman at knifepoint and threatening to kill her when she screamed for help.
“We need to see if he has or suffers from, you know, a severe mental health disorder, a mental defect, or personality disorder that makes him likely to commit more crimes like this,” said Patty LaFrance, legal analyst.
He was found at the scene and arrested.
“It’s for those situations where you do have somebody who is still dangerous, maybe has maxed out because they have not completed the sexual offender program up at prison, and they’re basically saying, ‘Yep, I’m going to get out and do it again. And there’s nothing you could do to stop me.’ Now, there is. So that’s what this law was created for,” LaFrance said.
The civil commitment ruling can be reviewed in five years.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.