Bryan Sanchez-Osorio, the 17-year-old Bethlehem resident accused of the attempted rape and murder of a Lehigh student in her off-campus house during the summer, has pleaded guilty.
Using an interpreter, Sanchez-Osorio admitted to charges of attempted homicide, attempted rape, burglary and aggravated assault. By accepting a plea bargain, charges of criminal trespassing, escape and unlawful restraint were withdrawn, according to The Express-Times.
Sanchez-Osorio could face up to 80 years in state prison.
The incident occurred last July when Sanchez-Osorio, who had just moved from Puerto Rico to live with his sister, broke into a home on the 400 block of Carlton Avenue through an open window on the first floor.
According to police reports, Sanchez-Osorio entered the Lehigh graduate student’s bedroom and proceeded to choke her and forcibly remove her clothing. The student’s roommates heard her screaming and called the Bethlehem police.
Sanchez-Osorio was apprehended by the police as he left the house.
Sanchez-Osorio did not admit to any mental health problems and is not currently medicated for any, according to his lawyer. However, he was involuntarily hospitalized for aggressive behavior, severe irritability, symptoms of severe depression and suicidal thoughts in Puerto Rico, according to court documents.
He was released from the hospital after responding well to medication and moved to his sister’s home, on the 700 block of Laufer Street, shortly after, according to court documents.
Judge Emil Giordano scheduled sentencing for March 26 but that may be pushed back pending mental health tests.
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