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(Des Moines, IA) -- A Des Moines man is sentenced 32 years in prison for attempted murder.
38 year-old Raymond Gooch is required to spend 17 and a half years in prison before becoming eligible for parole. Gooch was convicted of multiple charges, including attempted murder, after assaulting Crystal Larson with a baseball bat in September of last year, hitting her 12 times. Larson was homeless and living in a hotel at the time of the assault. She was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. The investigation into the incident found Larson knew Gooch and that he had asked her for drugs prior to the attack.
Gooch and Larson and both veterans, and in her victim impact statement, Larson said both she and Gooch suffer from PTSD from their military service and that the two met five years ago during treatment. District Judge Coleman McAllister said he considered Gooch's prior military service and his chances for rehabilitation in his sentencing decision.