Police arrested a Minnesota man on Sunday after he allegedly held his girlfriend captive inside her dorm room at an all-girls school in St. Paul, torturing her for three days.
A criminal complaint says 19-year-old Keanu Labatte is accused of beating, waterboarding, and raping the young woman at St. Catherine University, People reported Friday.
An image shows the suspect in the case:
A 19-year-old man is accused of holding his girlfriend captive in her dorm room at a university in Minnesota while he raped, beat and waterboarded her for days until she escaped.
Keanu Labatte was arrested Sunday at St. Catherine University, an all-female school in St. Paul. He… pic.twitter.com/HrHbxoaA87
— CCN NEWS (@CCNNEWS247) September 14, 2023
Waterboarding is described as a form of torture in which water is poured into a victim’s nose and mouth while the person is lying on their back on an incline with the person’s feet above their head, according to Britannica.
“As the victim’s sinus cavities and mouth fill with water, his gag reflex causes him to expel air from his lungs, leaving him unable to exhale and unable to inhale without aspirating water,” the website reads.
The People article said the suspect now faces five felony charges, including three for criminal sexual conduct, one for threats of violence, and a single count for domestic assault by strangulation.
The outlet detailed the case:
On Thursday, Labatte arrived at the university to see his girlfriend, whom he had been dating for two months, according to the criminal complaint. While there, he allegedly discovered texts, pictures and social media posts that “infuriated him,” prompting the suspect to allegedly unleash a weekend of physical and sexual violence on the unidentified woman.
Labatte took her phone away and raped her, the victim told investigators, according to the complaint. Labatte also choked her until “she was unable to breathe, felt lightheaded and saw stars,” the complaint states. He then threatened to kill her and her family, the complaint states, and “reminded her that she knew what he had done to a prior girlfriend.”
Labatte is also accused of waterboarding the young woman in the bathtub.
She eventually escaped from the suspect early Sunday once he allowed her to get food at the campus dining hall. Beforehand, he returned her phone and told her to stay in contact via Snapchat.
However, the young woman contacted police to report what allegedly happened to her, and she was taken to a hospital for a medical check.
The New York Post reported, “The teen was already on probation for violating a restraining order another woman had taken out against him, according to court records.”
His bail was set at $100,000, and he is due back in court on October 9.
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