Second man charged in Independence rape; pair also accused in deputy’s kidnapping

A 25-year-old Blue Springs man has been charged in the 2016 rape of an Independence woman after pleading guilty last month to kidnapping and raping a Johnson County sheriff’s deputy.

William Luth is one of two men charged in both the kidnapping of the deputy and the Independence rape, in which a woman was attacked in her home with her small child next to her in bed.

Jackson County prosecutors charged Luth Wednesday with rape.

Luth’s co-defendant, Brady Newman-Caddell, 22, was charged in the Independence rape more than a year ago. He still faces charges in both cases.

The woman attacked in Independence said Wednesday she has been waiting for a long time to see Luth charged.

“There’s not a day that it doesn’t cross my mind,” she said. “I’m just glad that after two years, I’m finally getting that aspect of my story validated by the justice system. There’s still that feeling that you’re being doubted by the justice system until those charges come.”

According to court documents, Luth and Newman-Caddell are accused of invading the woman’s apartment at night while she was sleeping in bed with her 2-year-old daughter on Feb. 9, 2016.

The woman told police that the men took turns raping her and punched her when she tried to resist.

The woman estimated that several men took turns assaulting her over a period of several hours. On Wednesday she said that she thinks there is still at least one more assailant yet to be identified.

The attack on the Johnson County deputy occurred eight months later in October 2016. After Luth and Newman-Caddell were arrested in that case, Independence police questioned Newman-Caddell about the Independence rape.

Newman-Caddell was linked to both crimes by DNA evidence, according to authorities. At the time of the Independence rape, he lived in the same apartment building as the woman.

According to court documents, Newman-Caddell allegedly admitted that he and Luth were involved in the Independence attack. He reportedly told police that Luth was the first to rape the woman. Newman-Caddell was charged in that case in December 2016.

More than a year passed before Jackson County prosecutors charged Luth.

Luth’s phone records showed that his phone was used in the area of the Independence rape at the time of the attack, prosecutors said.

In Johnson County, Luth is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 15 for the attack on the deputy. He pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of rape and one count of aggravated criminal sodomy.

Newman-Cadell’s cases in both counties are still pending. In Jackson County he is charged with rape, two counts of sodomy and one count of endangering a child. In Johnson County he is charged with aggravated kidnapping, aggravated sodomy and two counts of rape.

Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe has said that police were looking for more victims who were attacked by the two men.

This story was originally published January 10, 2018 at 7:33 PM with the headline "Second man charged in Independence rape; pair also accused in deputy’s kidnapping."