A 20-year-old convicted of raping his neighbor and then offering to do work around her house to make it up to her is being sent to prison for 50 years.Jurors in West Palm Beach found Timothy Walding guilty of sexual battery, false imprisonment and armed burglary in October. On Monday, a judge sentenced him to a mandatory minimum sentence of 50 years.Prosecutors say Walding broke into his 35-year-old neighbor’s house in October 2017 and sexually assaulted her for 90 minutes. She said she was tied up and threatened with a knife.The Sun Sentinel reports the intruder, later identified as Walding, told the victim: “You really should deadbolt your door because I didn’t really want to do this, but I had to do it.”The victim begged the attacker not to kill her. He told her he wouldn’t, reportedly saying he wouldn’t leave her two children without a mom.“ said the more she spoke with to the suspect, she realized he was very young,” a detective wrote in a report.The victim eventually guessed Walding's identity and pulled off his mask. The Sun Sentinel reports he offered to do landscaping or fix something around the house, which she declined. He also said it wouldn't be awkward living down the street from him because he was joining the military at the end of the month. Prosecutors say he asked her not to tell what happened and they shook hands. When he left she called 911.

A 20-year-old convicted of raping his neighbor and then offering to do work around her house to make it up to her is being sent to prison for 50 years.

Jurors in West Palm Beach found Timothy Walding guilty of sexual battery, false imprisonment and armed burglary in October. On Monday, a judge sentenced him to a mandatory minimum sentence of 50 years.


Prosecutors say Walding broke into his 35-year-old neighbor’s house in October 2017 and sexually assaulted her for 90 minutes. She said she was tied up and threatened with a knife.

The Sun Sentinel reports the intruder, later identified as Walding, told the victim: “You really should deadbolt your door because I didn’t really want to do this, but I had to do it.”

The victim begged the attacker not to kill her. He told her he wouldn’t, reportedly saying he wouldn’t leave her two children without a mom.

“[The woman] said the more she spoke with to the suspect, she realized he was very young,” a detective wrote in a report.

The victim eventually guessed Walding's identity and pulled off his mask.

The Sun Sentinel reports he offered to do landscaping or fix something around the house, which she declined. He also said it wouldn't be awkward living down the street from him because he was joining the military at the end of the month.

Prosecutors say he asked her not to tell what happened and they shook hands. When he left she called 911.