MADISON, Wis. – Attorney General Josh Kaul announced today that Dane County Judge David Conway sentenced Joachim M McKnight to 3 years, 6 months in prison for the assault of a teenage victim that occurred in March 1994. This case was investigated by the Madison Police Department and prosecuted by the Dane County District Attorney’s Office, with victim services being provided by the Dane County Victim Witness Unit.
McKnight entered a guilty plea to Third Degree Sexual Assault on August 9, 2021, and was sentenced on August 19, 2021. The victim’s sexual assault kit was tested as part of the Wisconsin Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) in 2018. This is the sixth conviction and sentencing to result from SAKI.
“The survivor in this case waited almost 25 years for her sexual assault kit to be tested and over 27 years for the conviction and sentencing of the defendant. Finally, justice has been delivered,” said Attorney General Kaul. “I strongly encourage the state assembly to pass AB 67, legislation that would help ensure that all sexual assault kits are promptly submitted to the state crime labs and that delays like this never happen again.”
The sexual assault kit was tested by Sorenson Forensics and the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory.
Joachim McKnight has seven prior felony convictions from Dane County and was previously sentenced to prison.
A criminal complaint is available on request.
For survivors looking for information about their kit, contact the law enforcement agency where the assault was reported, a local sexual assault service provider, or the DOJ Office of Crime Victim Services at 1-800-446-6564.