Feb. 28, 2003 – Spurred by the arrest of a man charged with breaking into a woman's home, raping her and holding her for ransom, then slashing her throat when a friend brought the money he demanded, Family Resource Center is sponsoring a march for victim justice on Monday.
The march is to protest the lenient handling of youthful offenders, especially those who are suspected in multiple offenses, Michal Rhymer-Charles, Family Resource Center executive director, said Friday.
"We decided to take a strong stand against this defendant because of the repeat offenses we are aware of," she said.
The man arrested and charged with the crimes, Michael Turbe, 20, was freed from jail in January after having been held for the alleged sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl, Deputy Police Chief Theodore Carty said.
Rhymer-Charles took to the radio airwaves Friday morning harshly criticizing the V.I. Justice Department for letting Turbe go in January. "He didn't get sentenced; the charges were dismissed," she said, because authorities "were concerned the 11-year old didn't want to go on the stand" and testify in court.
Police said the victim of the Wednesday attack was in the intensive care ward at Roy L. Schneider Hospital on Friday. "She was raped repeatedly, her throat slashed, and she was stabbed several times in numerous parts of her body," Carty said.
Turbe was arrested on Thursday and charged with first-degree rape, first-degree assault, first-degree burglary, unauthorized use of a vehicle and extortion. He was being held Friday on $270,000 bond.
Carty said the victim encountered her assailant in the afternoon as she entered her home. For the next three and a half hours, Turbe allegedly attacked the woman and forced her to call co-workers, asking them to bring money to the home. "The victim's co-worker arrived at the house and gave the victim $1,000 cash," Carty said.
Rhymer-Charles said she is frustrated with prosecutors who insist on granting leniency to youthful sexual offenders because of their age. "Youthful sex offenders can become older and more mature sex offenders, often more dangerous than they were in the beginning," she said.
"That woman could have been any one of us," she said. "We could have walked in our apartment and found this guy in there, holding us for ransom."
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