Navy veteran Amy devastated as attacker could get parole hearing 33 years after rape

Amy, a Navy veteran who was raped in Virginia on Valentine's Day in 1992, had finally found a measure of justice after 33 years. DNA evidence cracked her cold case and her attacker, Anthony Favors, was sentenced. But months later, an automated message told her Virginia's parole board could review his case.

That night, Favors beat and sexually assaulted her for hours at her apartment in Norfolk. She was serving in the US Navy at the time. Immediately after the attack, she reported straight to her shift aboard a Navy ship.

For decades, the trauma has dictated her daily life. She suffers from severe post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic sleep deprivation and hypervigilance that forces her to check and recheck her door locks.

Amy said many of the things she thought were normal were not normal at all. She has lived with the psychological scars for many years.

In 2024, a DNA hit cracked the case. Investigators found that Anthony Favors, 57, had raped Amy. At the time, he was already serving a 60-year sentence for a separate rape committed in March 1992.

In September 2025, Favors accepted a plea deal. He had initially faced six indictments, including abduction and burglary. After he pleaded guilty to two counts of rape, Norfolk Judge Everett A. Martin Jr. sentenced him to 24 years in prison, with two 12-year terms to run consecutively.

Months after the sentencing, Amy received a message from VINE, an automated notification system. It said Virginia's parole board could review Favors' case for possible release.

Amy said she had finally received some sort of closure and justice, and then the text arrived. Nobody has yet told her how he is even eligible for parole.

Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi confirmed that Favors will likely have a discretionary parole hearing within the next few months. He said a bureaucratic overlap opened the door to the hearing.

Fatehi explained that the parole board had previously considered Favors for release on an earlier rape conviction but never granted it. Because his offences took place before January 1, 1995, Virginia's old sentencing laws allow the parole board to consider him for release.

Fatehi said there is a slim chance to zero that Favors will actually be released. Even so, the prospect of an impending hearing has left Amy reeling.

Amy said the only word she can think of right now is disgusting. She asked how this could be done and where her justice is. With the hearing expected in the coming months, she still wants answers about how Favors became eligible for parole.