Oakland County man pleads no contest in kidnapping and sexual assault of 9-year-old girl
A 44-year-old Oakland County man has pleaded no contest to all charges in connection with the 2021 kidnapping and sexual assault of a 9-year-old girl.
Aaron Deneal McDonald was charged in 2022 with one count of kidnapping, three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, one count of torture and one count of assault by strangulation, according to court records. He entered the plea of no contest on Friday.
According to the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office, Aaron McDonald lured the girl into his vehicle on the afternoon of October 10, 2021, and attempted to sexually assault her. He then drove the girl to a house in Detroit and told her to remove her clothing.
Oakland county officials say that when the girl refused to take off her clothing, Aaron McDonald strangled, tortured and raped her. She escaped from the house after he fell asleep.
Aaron McDonald was taken into custody on October 15, 2021.
"No child should have to endure what she went through," Oakland County Prosecutor Karen D. McDonald said in a written release on Friday. "Due to her extraordinary bravery and determination, she saved her own life, and she may have saved other children from a similar fate."
The prosecutor's office says Aaron McDonald will remain at the Oakland County Jail until his sentencing, which is scheduled for May 2. He faces up to life in prison.
A plea of no contest means a criminal defendant will not contest a charge, according to Cornell Law School. It does not "expressly admit guilt," but the defendant waives the right to a trial and gives the court authority to treat them as if they were guilty for sentencing.
