Police say a 13-year-old woman pulled out her personal hair to go away her DNA proof on the dwelling of a 19-year-old man who allegedly sexually assaulted her.
Angel Lopez, 19, is accused of luring the woman by means of conversations on TikTok over 4 days, the Westmoreland County District Legal professional’s Workplace mentioned in a assertion on March 27. Lopez then paid for her Uber journey from Westmoreland County, Pa., to Philadelphia, the place he allegedly assaulted her in his dwelling after providing her medicine.
Lopez appeared in court docket on Thursday, April 10 for a preliminary listening to following his arrest, experiences WTAE.
Lopez was charged with “kidnapping a minor, trafficking, involuntary deviate sexual activity of an individual lower than 16, illegal contact of a minor, interference with baby custody, statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault of a kid, sexual abuse of a kid, corruption of minors and legal use of a communication facility.”
The woman instructed police that he mentioned, “They gained’t be capable to discover you anyway,” per the legal criticism, in line with WTAE. After the sufferer was assaulted, the defendant allegedly instructed her to point out “to scrub his DNA off her,” the D.A.’s workplace mentioned.
In accordance with the legal criticism, the woman instructed police she left strands of her hair round Lopez’s bed room so her DNA might be discovered, experiences WTAE.
“He had talked about to her that no person would ever discover her,” Det. Sgt. Justin Scalzo of the Greensburg, Pa. police division mentioned in a press convention on March 27, per WTAE. “And that was regarding. And that truly prompted the sufferer on this case to drag out strands of her hair and attempt to depart them across the condo, saying that later that if no person discovered her, perhaps they might no less than discover her DNA.”
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Scalzo elaborated that Lopez allegedly “didn’t need her to take any digital gadgets together with her to Philly. After which one textual content message said, ‘I would like you to go away no hint behind.’”
Lopez exchanged 1,862 printed pages of messages with the woman in the course of the four-day interval. The sufferer later instructed police that their relationship turned sexual through specific messages previous to the assault, and she or he expressed apprehension about going to Philadelphia. When she shared her doubts with Lopez, he allegedly threatened to kill himself if she didn’t go to see him, KDKA Information experiences, citing the legal criticism.
Per the D.A., the sufferer was reported lacking by her household on March 14. Police had been capable of ping her cellphone to a location close to Lopez’s condo.
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Lopez stays in custody at Westmoreland County Jail. His subsequent court docket date is Could 14.
In case you or somebody you realize has been sexually assaulted, please contact the Nationwide Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.