ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A man convicted of raping a woman at a bus stop in Pine Hills was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday.
In early 2023, a string of reported attacks near bus stops in Pine Hills sent shockwaves through the community. Women, often on their way to work before sunrise, would say they were approached by a man dressed in all black who robbed some at gunpoint and sexually assaulted others.
Come April 2025, jurors found 32-year-old Nelson Odige guilty of sexual battery with a weapon and kidnapping in connection to one of the reported attacks.
The case for which he was convicted took place around 6 a.m. at a bus stop off Hiawassee Road, where prosecutors say he forced a woman into his car at gunpoint before attacking her.
“I don’t care if a woman lives in Beverly Hills or in Pine Hills. A woman should be able to go to the bus stop at 5 a.m. to make an honest day’s living for herself and her family without being subjected to what you did to her,” Judge Diego M. Madrigal III said Wednesday. “I cannot allow you to remain a member of society. So, (...) I’m going to sentence you to life in prison.”
It was just one of several cases to which Odige was initially connected, accused of raping four women along or near Hiawassee Road from Jan. 1 to Feb. 25, 2023.
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All four women who say Odige targeted them testified at his trial. Most were Haitian and described similar encounters.
Ultimately, Odige was found guilty on two counts of armed sexual battery and one count of kidnapping. He received a life sentence for each count — three in total.
While Wednesday’s sentencing covered the one conviction, Odige still faces several other pending charges in separate cases.
[VIDEO BELOW: Man accused or rape testifies at trial]
