‘Pillowcase Rapist’ gagged, bound woman in 1984 sexual assault, victim testifies

The victim who was sexually assaulted by the Pillowcase Rapist four decades ago testified Wednesday morning about how she was restrained with a telephone cord and gagged with a wad of fabric during the attack.

Robert Koehler, 66, is accused of terrorizing and sexually assaulting the then-22-year-old victim in 1984. Koehler has been convicted in another rape case from 1983 and, through DNA, was linked to the Pillowcase Rapist sexual assaults, a string of attacks across South Florida in the 1980s.

On the stand, the victim said she awoke to the shadow of a man in her doorway; he told her to “shut up” and pulled her out of bed.

The victim said she tried to fight the assailant and attempted to use her elbow to hit him, angering him to the point that he tied her hands with a telephone cord. The man then raped her twice.

Go to Herald.com for the full report.

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https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2025/10/29/pillowcase-rapist-gagged-bound-woman-in-1984-sexual-assault-victim-testifies/