Washington state man charged in autistic woman’s rape

Associated Press

SEATTLE – A 21-year-old Washington state man who prosecutors say abducted an autistic woman from outside her parents’ home last weekend has been charged with rape, kidnapping and assault.

The man is accused of repeatedly raping her and telling her he planned to sell her to his friends for sex. The 18-year-old woman was able to call 911 and waved to officers from a window.

Thomas Kirk Brownlee was arrested on Sunday and spent roughly 24 hours in King County Jail before posting a $100,000 bail, according to court and jail records. He was taken back into custody early Wednesday and charged with first-degree rape, first-degree kidnapping and second-degree assault, according to the records. Brownlee was released again after posting bond on $500,000 bail hours later.

It was not clear Thursday whether Brownlee had an attorney, the Seattle Times reported.

“The facts of this case are terrifying and horrific,” Senior Deputy Prosecutor Christian Brown wrote in the charging papers. “An 18 year old victim, who is diagnosed with the most severe form of Autism, was abducted, brutalized, terrorized and sexually violated by the defendant. Her body is now a roadmap to the multiple acts of abuse the defendant inflicted upon her.”

Brown wrote that the woman’s injuries were documented by a sexual assault nurse examiner and were some of the “most extreme” wounds he had seen during his career with the King County Prosecutor’s Sexual Assault Unit.

A nurse documented that the victim had physical injuries including bruises, bite marks and swelling, along with difficulty breathing and swallowing as a result of being strangled, the charging documents say.

Brownlee will be arraigned on Sept. 16, when prosecutors intend to ask a judge to place him on electronic-home monitoring, said a spokesperson for prosecutor Dan Satterberg.