The Texas man arrested in 2021 for raping four women in the Dallas area in 2003 and 2011 was sentenced to life in prison late last month after entering pleading guilty, the Associated Press reported.
Jeffrey Wheat, 52, pleaded guilty to burglary with intent of another felony and aggravated sexual assault in cases that occurred in Collin, Dallas, Denton, and Tarrant Counties in 2003 and 2011.
Wheat was sentenced to life in prison for the two crimes in Tarrant and Collin Counties, 30 years for aggravated sexual assault in Dallas County, and 20 years for the same charge in Denton County.
Wheat’s sentences will run concurrently.
Wheat’s attorney Greg Ashford told WFAA that his client, who has been in jail since his arrest three years ago, could be eligible for parole after 15 years. Ashford said Wheat’s plea agreement “was the best outcome” for him in the cases.
Wheat was arrested in March 2021 after investigators from the Arlington Police Department identified him by retesting DNA obtained from the 2003 rape in Arlington. The DNA from the 2003 rape matched the samples taken from the 2011 crime scenes in Plano, Texas.
While Wheat’s DNA was not in the system, detectives investigating the 2011 rapes discovered that the DNA of a close relative of the suspect’s was.
Wheat was identified as a suspect and later located in January 2021 living in Arkansas.
After obtaining a warrant, investigators obtained a sample of Wheat’s DNA which matched the samples found at all four crime scenes.
The three victims attacked in 2011 were all from the Delta Sigma Theta black sorority. According to prosecutors in Collin County, Wheat gained access to the women’s personal information when he was working for the credit card processing company used by Delta Sigma Theta.
