ST LOUIS COUNTY - A St. Louis County judge sentenced Ballwin resident Yahya Maly, 29, to 291 years in prison Tuesday morning after he was convicted of raping seven women he met on dating apps, according to court proceedings in St. Louis County.
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Maly was convicted in April on 17 of 21 counts against him. The convictions included four counts of first-degree rape or attempted rape, eight counts of second-degree rape and five counts of first-degree sodomy or attempted sodomy. He was acquitted of two counts of assault and two counts of kidnapping.
Prosecutors said Maly used the name “John” to lure women he met on dating apps to his apartment on Log Trail Drive, where the assaults occurred. Investigators said the crimes began in February 2023 and continued through February 2025.
All seven women Maly was convicted of raping testified at the trial.
The penalty phase of the trial took place the day after the convictions. At that hearing, the jury recommended that Maly face a total of 319 years in prison.
In the first incident, which allegedly took place between March 1, 2023, and March 1, 2024, Maly invited a woman, referred to as Confidential Victim 1, to his apartment. After making repeated sexual advances, Maly allegedly forced himself on her despite her objections.
Another victim, Confidential Victim 2, visited Maly's residence between July 1, 2023, and September 15, 2023. Despite her attempts to leave, Maly allegedly blocked her exit multiple times before forcing her to engage in sexual acts against her will.
Confidential Victim 3 reported a similar experience between August 30, 2024, and September 2, 2024, when Maly allegedly used physical force to engage in non-consensual sexual activity. This victim also indicated that she initially agreed to meet Maly with the understanding that no sexual activity would occur.
Confidential Victim 4 described an incident in which Maly allegedly choked her while he eventually raped her, despite her pleas for him to stop.
The most recent alleged assault involved Confidential Victim 5 on February 2, 2025. After agreeing to meet Maly at a park, she was taken to his apartment, where he allegedly forced her into multiple sexual acts over several hours, causing her physical harm.
Before Tuesday’s sentencing, a spokesperson for the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said it would be up to the judge to determine how the sentences are served, including whether they would run consecutively or concurrently.
