The testing of almost 5,000 backlogged rape kits in Cuyahoga County, Ohio is shedding light on important differences between one-time and serial rapists — and has led to 250 convictions so far Funded by a grant from Ohio's Department of Justice, researchers from Case Western Reserve University teamed up with the Cuyahoga County Sexual Assault Kit Task Force in 2014 to begin testing 4,800 backlogged rape kits from sexual assaults committed between 1993 and 2010. The researchers sought justice for forgotten and ignored survivors, as well as insight into how sexual assault is committed and prosecuted."The experience of collecting a rape kit is invasive and especially so right after a victim has been traumatically assaulted," Rachel Lovell, co-leader of the research project, said in a statement . "These victims did what they have been asked to do to preserve evidence — but that evidence just sat, untested. The new processes we hope will emerge from our effort will better honor victims." Already, the project has led to the indictment of 462 defendants implicated in over 500 sexual assaults. Of cases that have been completed, 92% have led to convictions, with an average sentence of 10 years.The team is making substantial progress on the research side as well. A few key discoveries from the early findings it released yesterday