Tale of Two Cities: Cincy woman, 78, raped; Charlotte woman kills attacker

September 8, 2003
Cincinnati Post

A routine household chore turned into a horrible experience for a 78-year-old Mount Healthy woman -- and resulted in a rape indictment today for her accused attacker.
A Hamilton County grand jury indicted Jason Turner, 19, of Mount Healthy, for rape, attempted rape, aggravated robbery, kidnapping and aggravated burglary, charges carrying a maximum sentence of 50 years in prison.

The woman had just returned Aug. 14 to her home from the grocery store. She parked in her detached garage and was carrying the groceries inside when, police said, Turner sneaked into her house, which she had unlocked after arriving.

After she finished bringing the groceries inside, Turner allegedly attacked her, dragging her upstairs and raping her.

"The defenseless victim was utterly taken by surprise and could only submit," prosecutor Mike Allen said today. "One shudders to imagine the horror of being brutally dragged through your own home and raped."

Meanwhile, in a state that allows its law-abiding citizens to carry a
concealed handgun for self-defense, a different outcome resulted when this woman was attacked in her home: (click on the "Read More..." link below)

The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, NC

A number of unsolved burglaries and a subsequent string of sexual assaults near the University of North Carolina's Charlotte campus had female residents there fearing for their safety. It was that heightened sense of awareness, and an armed citizen, that helped prevent yet another attack. Twenty-six-year-old Adrian Rodricka Cathey entered a woman's apartment early one morning and assaulted her with a knife. This time, however, the intended victim fought back, retrieving a firearm and shooting her assailant. Cathey, who had a record of arrests on charges of rape and attempted murder, was later found dead in a parking lot.

• According to the Dept. of Justice, 96% of all rapes are committed without the criminal used of a firearm. What compassionate person would argue that this innocent 78-year old victim should not have the right to choose to bear arms to defend herself?

• This woman was attacked in her garage, after just having exited her vehicle. Excessive laws restricting how citizens may defend themselves in their automobiles could deny a person in such a situation the ability to defend themselves in a timely manner.

Contact information for the area's elected officials is provided below:

State House of Representatives
• >Rep. Tyrone Yates (D-33)
Phone: (614) 466-1308
Fax: (614) 644-9494

State Senate
• >Sen. Mark Mallory (D-9)
Phone: (614) 466-5980
Fax: (614) 644-6164

Click here to read the story from the Cincinnati Post.