Crime Watch: Sketch aimed at catching Roxbury rapist

That’s a sketch just released by King County Sheriff’s Office detectives, in their search for the man who beat and raped a woman earlier this month along SW Roxbury. We reported the attack the day it happened, March 7th; here is the latest from detectives:

On Friday, March 7th, just after midnight the victim was walking eastbound on the south side of Roxbury near 24th Ave. She was approached by a black male who asked her for a cigarette. The victim gave the man a cigarette when he suddenly dragged her to a nearby lot where he punched her repeatedly then sexually assaulted her.

After the assault the man fled, taking the victim’s purse with him. The purse was never located and may have been discarded nearby or possibly given to an associate of the suspect. The purse is very distinctive:

The attacker was described as a younger black male, early 20’s, about 5’9″, medium build, wearing a dark-colored hoodie and jeans. The suspect may have injuries to his hands due to the violent assault on the victim.

If you have information about this man or the missing purse, please call the King County Sheriff’s Office at 206-296-3311 (24 hours). You can also be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 and remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

AmandaKH March 25, 2014 (9:41 pm)

I know the exact lot they are talking about where this happened. The county tore the house down about 6 months ago (abandoned with squatters living there) and it’s right next door to a burned out house that no one is living in. It’s a dark and isolated spot. This is WAY too close to home.

Rebecca March 26, 2014 (8:05 am)

What took so long? Geez!

Eric March 26, 2014 (8:06 am)

While I’m glad there is at least a sketch of the person who did this, I think it would have been much more helpful if the sketch was released a lot sonner that it has been, because 20 days later those possible injuries to the hand (I’m assuming cuts and scrapes) could have healed by now. Those were possible important clues in helping to identify the attacker.

Carrie P. March 26, 2014 (12:02 pm)

I’m wondering if this is the same guy who raped a young woman in an alley near near Trenton & 17th a few years ago. He was described as a black male wearing a hoodie with very bad body odor. I don’t think he was ever caught, either

Ray March 26, 2014 (12:16 pm)

Sadly, this is not a very good, defining picture. It could “be” literally dozens of people in the area. I am all for finding the perp, but it would be easy for a lot of false positives with this particular image.

Kara March 26, 2014 (1:04 pm)

If you think about it the victim provides the possibility of a sketch so it might have taken her some time to reconfront that event and provide the details to the police. It’s obviously not an easy thing to do.

smokeycretin9 March 26, 2014 (2:41 pm)

I really appreciate King Co. Police’s efforts in this case. The other evening, two plain clothes detectives were going door to door with a flier and asking every neighbor around here questions about people, noises, anything that might help this case.

WSB March 26, 2014 (2:53 pm)

Smokey – Sgt. West in the KCSO media office told us when sending this last night, they REALLY REALLY REALLY want this guy off the streets. He is considered exceptionally dangerous. Glad to hear the canvassing continues.

Brad March 26, 2014 (2:49 pm)

Hey, at least it’s something to go on.

smokeycretin9 March 26, 2014 (5:22 pm)

Well, I have a front row view for all the people walking Roxbury, so I have this image burned into my brain. I’d love to be the guy to call this guy in to police.

Joseph March 26, 2014 (6:58 pm)

The problem with the picture is it looks like a LOT of the punks who are always hanging around that area, anyway.

wscommuter March 26, 2014 (10:13 pm)

Joseph … what, exactly, makes this image so “like a LOT of the punks” … the hoodie, or that he is African-American? I’m guessing I know what you are implying, but I’d love to hear you explain that I’m wrong.

The implicit racism in your comment doesn’t help the situation at all. I would hope the Blog would pull your comment – we don’t need that kind of hate here.

m March 26, 2014 (10:25 pm)

This sketch appears to me to be a far more detailed image than some other sketches I’ve seen that were made public for other crimes. I’m sure it was incredibly painful for the victim to have to sit through the time it must have taken to assist in creating this. Hopefully, her courage and attention to detail (and Smokeycretin9’s front row view!) will lead to this guy’s arrest and get him off the streets.

GetOverIt March 28, 2014 (10:41 am)

Wow WScommuter. You are the one who needs to be ashamed, playing the race card. Is Joseph black, or white? Older, younger, middle age? Your post is so assumptive it is offensive. Quit being so quick to pounce skewer a situation. Description of perp is young black man. So now broad term “punk” can’t be used anymore to describe such a loser as the perp? Cos it now somehow implies race? More so because used in context to case where perp is black? Am I now rascist to label perp loser? Am I rascist now, as you imply Joseph, because I use the term to broadly describe aimless, shiftless, disrespectful, sometimes violent younger males of all races who are out causing more than just minor troubles, have more than just minor run-ins with the law? Get over it. Geez. The neighbourhood focus should be banding together to get this guy, not turning it in to a race matter. Cos if you are gonna play the race way, if victim is white is she being rascist to accuse a black man of her attack? When does it stop? Let’s get this guy, take our neighborhood back one (non-offensive, race generic/neutral adjective)at a time!!!!

girlnextdoor March 28, 2014 (8:12 pm)

This perp, whatever color, gender, age, religion is a piece if garbage. He raped and beat an innocent woman BECAUSE he is scum, he’s lucky when he gets caught that he’s in America. Here he’ll still be treated realtively humanely (unlike the way he treated and permantly scarred an undeserving woman), in some other countries or other times he’d receive vigilante justice which would probably be castration. To heck with him. My heart goes out to the courageous woman.

Sorry, comment time is over.