Oswald Scott Wilder, center, sits during his interrogation and eventual confession to East Lansing police regarding a series of sexual assaults earlier this year.
During his interrogation, the man accused of committing a series of sexual assaults in East Lansing earlier this year adamantly denied any involvement in any of the attacks before eventually confessing.
Video footage of police interrogating Oswald Scott Wilder after he was apprehended, obtained by The State News through a Freedom of Information Act request, eventually shows him writing down the details of his attacks.
As the interview progressed, the Vernon, Mich., resident broke down, expressing the details of each assault. He came forward about his addiction to crack cocaine and stealing from local stores to feed his habit.
Wilder, 26, allegedly assaulted four women, all either MSU students or alumnae, in various locations throughout East Lansing between March 30 and ?May 16.
Wilder said at various points during the interrogation that he had never seen any of the four victims before, and said he didn’t touch or attack anyone.
“I’m scared of myself,” Wilder said during the interrogation. “I just don’t want people to know about what I did.”
He could face life in prison if he is convicted. Attorney Paul Toman previously told The State News that Wilder’s case will go straight to trial, but a date has not been set.
The Vernon, Mich., resident faces a total of ten charges, including one count of first degree criminal sexual conduct, two counts of second degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of third degree criminal sexual conduct. He also is being charged as a habitual offender.
Toman told WLNS he might file a motion to move the trial to another county, for fear Wilder will not get a fair trial.
Toman did not return multiple requests for comment Monday.
Wilder was arrested in August on another outstanding warrant.
In September, he faced testimony of his four alleged victims during his preliminary examination in 54-B District Court.
Victim 1 testified that she was walking down Grand River Avenue near the 1100 block when she was grabbed from behind.
She said she felt a hand reach up her dress before she fell into a nearby stop sign.
According to court documents, police placed a tracking device on Wilder’s vehicle in August after receiving surveillance footage showing him stalking Victim 2 in a Meijer store on Lake Lansing Road the night she was allegedly assaulted.
Victim 3 was attacked while trying to unlock the back door to her home. Wilder admitted to attacking Victim 4 and taking her behind a dumpster, saying he didn’t know why he resorted to violence.
The victims could not identify Wilder based on any of his physical features other than his height and build.
During the exam, East Lansing police Detective Dan Brown testified that each victim’s story of their attack was nearly identical to what Wilder confessed.
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