Indian-American teen choked before being sexually assaulted for ignoring accused's calls
27 November, 2019
The teenage Indian-American university student sexually assaulted in Chicago was placed in a choke hold by the accused until she passed out, prosecutors said.
The gruesome details emerged during a bail hearing of the 26-year-old Donald Thurman, charged with first-degree murder and criminal sexual assault.
The prosecutors told the court on Tuesday that Donald Thurman had confessed to the crime and it ordered he be held without bail.
The teen, a student at University of Illinois in Chicago, was found dead in family-owned car in a campus garage Saturday. The medical examiner has ruled her death a homicide by strangulation.
Cook County prosecutor James Murphy said the accused became angry after the girl did not respond to his catcalls when she was walking from the campus to the parking garage early Saturday. He then followed her to the garage.
The accused "thought she was pretty" and wanted to talk to her. She did not respond. This made him angry. He allegedly came behind her and put her into a choke hold until she was unconscious, the prosecution said during the bail hearing. Then, he dragged her to the back seat of her car and sexually assaulted her.
In a statement, the teen's family said they hold no hatred towards the perpetrator. "But our hope is no other girl would be harmed in this way and for a mother to never experience this type of heartache."
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