Suspected Flint rapist recorded attacks, has hundreds of tapes

FLINT, Mich. (WJBK) - A suspected rapist faced his accuser in court Tuesday  but this might be only the beginning.

Flint area prosecutors say Gilbert Conway is a serial rapist and they have hundreds of videotapes that reportedly show his crimes. 
 
"He frequented what are called gentlemen's clubs and wasn't such a gentleman," said David Leyton, Genesee County prosecutor.
 
Conway prowled for potential victims at Flint strip clubs and known prostitution hang outs. The 60-year-old is being called an alleged serial rapist. 

"He in fact videotaped the sexual assaults of the women," Leyton said. "We began to believe there might be dozens, scores maybe even hundreds more victims."

Conway is charged with 86 counts and is accused of kidnapping and raping at least seven women.

"I suspect when FOX 2 puts this out on the air we will get additional calls from potential victims," Leyton said. 

Police found a stockpile of home videos at Conway's house - more than 500 videos of sexual encounters.

"Even if a woman agrees to have consensual sex, (or) consensual sex for money, at some point if she says no, that's it, we're done, that's over," Leyton said.

Conway was in a Flint courtroom Wednesday - coming face to face with one of his accusers.

The woman who took the witness stand against Conway Wednesday was a cleaning lady and met him at a bus stop. He drove her to his home to get an estimate on her cleaning services. 

Once he got her inside, she says she was violently raped - an assault lasting nine hours. 

"I think he is being depicted unfairly in the media and press at this point," said Conway's defense attorney Archie Hayman.

Hayman had a very different take of his client. 

"He doesn't fit - at least in my opinion - what you would consider a mean, evil perp that is out raping people," Hayman said.

Hayman says Conway was arrested 10 years ago accused of sex crimes - then released.

"They confiscated the videos he had up to 2008 and handed them back to him and released him," Hayman said.

Those hundreds of tapes are being digitized to make it easier for investigators but it will likely take many months before the women in them are identified.

Prosecutor Leyton is asking any other potential victim's to come forward.

"If we can locate them reach out and talk to them and see if they want to pursue this," Leyton said.