A Missouri man on trial for allegedly raping a Washington University medical student said it was consensual. The victim, who said she was a virgin at the time, claimed she was awoken to the man, a stranger, on top of her in the middle of night at her St. Louis apartment.
St. Louis Dispatch reports that a Washington University medical student appeared in court on Tuesday to relive the moment an “angry stranger” broke into her apartment. Jared Hurst, 28, stands accused of creeping through the victim’s window at a Central West End Living condo off of North Boyle Avenue at around 1:20 a.m. in September 2016.
The victim said Hurst pushed a pillow into her face and demanded she “spread her legs” or get shot. He then allegedly raped her repeatedly.
“He grabbed one of my pillows and shoved it over my face. He raped me … I’ve never been so terrorized in my life,” the victim testified.
Before leaving her apartment, the suspect reportedly took the victim’s cellphone and threatened to kill her if she left her bedroom. The victim said as soon as he left, however, she began sending emails out to family members and friends, pleading with them to call 911 immediately.
Authorities later found that DNA left at the crime scene matched to Hurst. The suspect was arrested around a week after the incident.
The victim explained in court that she planned to wait to have sex until she finished her education and found someone she wanted to marry. She was in her second year at medical school in 2016, but has since suffered from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
In a previous trial, a jury deadlocked on the rape charge but found the suspect guilty of stealing the victim’s cellphone. Hurst spent a year behind bars on a theft charge, a sentence he’s since completed. He’s now gearing up to testify for second trial on the rape charge, after the jury split split 6-6 during the previous trial.
According to Hurst, the victim staged a crime scene after they had sex and made up the rape allegations out of “retaliation, regret, remorse and humiliation.” He claimed he met the victim at a car detailing shop near her condo and had dated her for around three months. Hurst said he was invited to her home on the night in question, where they had tea, watched television, then had sex.
“Regrettable sex is not rape. This case is a voluntary situation,” the suspect wrote.
Check back with CrimeOnline as additional details become available.
[Feature Photo: Jared Hurst/Police Handout]
