BLUFFDALE, Utah - As Donald Younge faced forward, Rebecca sat at a table behind him and admitted she was terrified.
Mustering the courage to speak, she told the Utah Board of Pardons & Parole that Younge should never be released from prison.
"There are so many victims whose lives were brutally stolen from them," she said. "And some like me who managed to survive."
Recounting the crime, the parole board hearing officer said Rebecca (who asked FOX 13 not to use her last name) was a University of Utah student in 1996 when Younge grabbed her as she walked down the street, beat her and raped her. He was arrested in 2002 when his DNA matched in a national database, convicted of aggravated sexual assault and robbery and sentenced to 31-years-to-life in prison.
Younge told the parole board on Tuesday that he didn't remember what happened, blaming it on mental problems.
Donald Younge is sworn in during his parole hearing on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017. (Image by Doug Eldredge, FOX 13 News)
"I don't actually remember the incident," he said. "It was like 20 years ago."
Rebecca certainly remembered. She also wanted to make sure the parole board hearing officer didn't forget, recounting what happened and its impact on her life today. She said she still has nightmares and suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
"I wanted to make sure that nobody forgets that this monster should stay behind bars," she told FOX 13 after the hearing.
Younge finally admitted to the attack on Rebecca at Tuesday's hearing, but claimed he couldn't say why he did it.
"I know what I did was wrong," he said. "It would be hard for me to tell you what's going on in my mind without any treatment."
Parole board hearing officer Cathy Crawford was perplexed that he had never been diagnosed with any mental problems.
Younge was suspected of killing others in Illinois and Utah. He was charged with the 1999 murder of Amy Quinton, a University of Utah student stabbed to death inside her apartment during a burglary. The murder case against him fell apart, as did cases in Illinois.
Amy Quinton, who was murdered in 1999. (Photo provided by her family)
Sitting next to Rebecca at Tuesday's hearing was Shari Quinton, Amy's sister. She came to offer her support as Rebecca spoke.
"Rebecca and I have become sisters through tragedy," she told FOX 13. "I appreciate her willingness to speak out on behalf of everyone else who is not here and can't speak out."
She also didn't want Younge released.
"For women around the world, he needs to be put behind bars," Quinton said.
Speaking to the parole board, Younge denied having any other victims than Rebecca.
"I know there are other victims" she said.
The Utah Board of Pardons & Parole will take the case under advisement and issue a decision within a month. Crawford said the earliest he could be back before the parole board is 2040.
"In a case as serious as this, I'm not sure the board will go for another hearing or not," she said. "If they did, it will be many years down the road."
