Wooded Rapist convicted in third case

Tennessean A Davidson County jury took less than an hour Thursday to return the third rape conviction against the man police and prosecutors call the Wooded Rapist. Robert Jason Burdick was found guilty of aggravated rape and especially aggravated kidnapping in a 2000 attack on a south Nashville mother and daughter, according to Susan Niland, spokeswoman for the Davidson County district attorney's office. He broke into the home and held the mother and her grown daughter at gunpoint, according to testimony in the trial before Criminal Court Judge Seth Norman. The two women testified that he forced the mother to keep three young children in another room while he raped the daughter and later made her take a shower. DNA taken from a rape kit was matched to Burdick. His lawyers tried to show that there were problems with the DNA testing, but the jury apparently didn't buy that argument. Norman will sentence Burdick on May 5. He faces up to 50 years on the two convictions. Burdick is already serving 42 years after convictions in two other rape cases. He faces more charges in Davidson, Williamson and Wilson counties. His next trial is set for Oct. 11 in Davidson County.