EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. (AP) -- A man linked by DNA testing to a rape three years after it happened is sentenced to 15 years in prison.

A judge announced the sentence Tuesday at a hearing for Ivan Wheeler, 34, of Alton, Illinois, who was convicted of raping a woman in 2001.

In 2004, Alton police used a national DNA database to make a DNA match to Wheeler. The DNA was collected from the victim at a hospital after she was raped.

During Tuesday's sentencing hearing, Wheeler continued to maintain his innocence. His family says he was convicted, not because of solid evidence, but because of his prior criminal record.

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