Second 'Wooded Rapist' trial to begin

Tennessean - Kate Howard October 12, 2009 DAVIDSON COUNTY The man already convicted in one case attributed to the "Wooded Rapist" is scheduled to go to trial again today. Robert Jason Burdick, 39, has been charged with more than a dozen rapes in three counties. Investigators say the rapes are linked by a common scheme — women attacked near wooded areas on rainy nights by a man with a covered face — and DNA evidence left at many of the scenes. Burdick was convicted in April of raping a Donelson woman in her home and sentenced to 32 years. This week, he will face trial in the rape of Nashville attorney Pat Young in Green Hills in 1994. It's the oldest case in which Burdick has been indicted, and Young has said that DNA evidence will prove Burdick was her rapist. She attended Burdick's first trial to show support for the victim. The Tennessean does not normally identify victims of sexual assault, but Young has agreed to be identified and has allowed her name to be used in interviews. "I hope there are several more (convictions) to follow," Young said in April. Burdick will be represented by attorneys Fletcher Long and John Herbison in the trial, which is expected to last a few days.