Suspect Made Video of Rape: Marine Boyfriend Went Undercover to Catch Him
Rape is always a terrible crime but when the victim sees a video of the incident, it adds a whole new level of invasion to the offense. That's what happened to the young woman who was sexual assaulted by Elric Shawn Millner.
Almost two years after the alleged event, police arrested 24-year-old Millner on Friday.
It took the victim, whose identity has been protected, a year to tell anyone about the assault which occurred when she was 17. When she told her boyfriend, who was a Military Police Officer with the Marines, he pretended to befriend Millner in order to get evidence for the case.
There aren't many nice things to say about someone who would commit rape, but at least Millner kept the video tape.
The victim told police that Millner gave her so much alcohol that she couldn't remember what happened the night of the assault. When she woke up in the morning he showed her videos on himself and another man forcing her to perform sexual acts while she begged them to stop.
Prosecutors say they have that video and will be using it as evidence in the case against Millner according to The Huffington Post.
ABC news showed Millner's reaction to his arrest:
Rape and sexual assault are felonies and Millner is charged with aggravated sexual assault. The added "aggravation" charge indicates prosecutors plan to show evidence that the crime is more serious than a typical sexual assault.
Both the act of videotaping and the behavior that it allegedly shows could be part of the decision to charge him with an aggravated crime rather than just sexual assault. Aggravated crimes have the possibility of a greater punishment if the defendant is convicted.
Because the victim's boyfriend convinced her to bring charges and allegedly found video evidence of the rape, it's likely that Millner will be convicted for his suspected actions. That should wipe the smirk off his face.
Related Resources:
- Police say man raped woman, took pics, vids of victim (My Fox Houston)
- Husband Tapes Wife in Invasion of Privacy: Hidden Video and Marriage Don't Mix (FindLaw's Common Law)
- Rutgers Sex Video Victim Commits Suicide (FindLaw's Blotter)