ST. PAUL, Minn. – A man in Minnesota is accused of beating, raping, and waterboarding his girlfriend while holding her hostage inside the woman’s college dorm room for three days after discovering text messages on her phone that “infuriated him.”
The series of crimes occurred at St. Catherine University, an all-female school in St. Paul, where Keanu Labatte, 19, was arrested Sunday once the victim managed to escape and report the horrifying incident to campus security.
Last Thursday, Labatte arrived on campus after making the 140-mile trek from Granite Falls to visit his girlfriend of two months, KSTB reported, citing the criminal complaint.
The couple was supposed to have a romantic weekend, but it took a violent turn once Labatte discovered text messages, photos and social media content on her phone that reportedly “infuriated him.”
According to the victim, Labatte demanded sex, but she refused. He proceeded take away her cell phone before raping and torturing her inside the woman’s dorm room on campus, the complaint states.
During the ongoing sexual assault, Labatte became increasingly violent, even strangling the victim until she was lightheaded, while threatening to hold a knife to her throat, something he told the victim he had done to a former girlfriend. Moreover, he threatened to kill her and her family during violent outbursts, prosecutors allege.
At one point, Labatte is accused of forcing his girlfriend to lie in a bathtub before covering her face with a washcloth and pouring water over her so she struggled to breathe, similar to waterboarding.
During the ongoing torture, he even went as far as to grab the woman’s arm in search of “the right vein to cut deep enough so no one could save her,” the victim told investigators, according to the New York Post.
The physical abuse left her “feeling terrified to the point that she would just lay next to Labatte and not move for fear of what he would do to her,” according to the court documents.
The victim managed to escape after convincing the suspect to let her go to the cafeteria to get some food. (LinkedIn / St. Catherine University)
After several days of sexual assault, abuse, and torture, the woman finally convinced Labatte to allow her to leave her dorm room Sunday morning in order to get food from the cafeteria.
He returned her phone and allowed her to leave, but demanded that she send a picture after arriving at the cafeteria to prove where she was, according to the complaint.
Instead of going to the cafeteria, she went directly to campus security. They noticed bruising around her ear, face and neck. As a result, they notified law enforcement authorities.
Officers responded and subsequently found Labatte inside the dorm room along with evidence of the crime, which included a folding knife and a damp washcloth in the bathroom. Police also noted the mattress had been moved to the floor, which the victim said Labatte had done so the bed wouldn’t squeak while he raped her, according to the complaint.
Officers arrested Labatte and advised him of his Miranda rights. He replied, “I plead the Fifth.”
Labatte was already on probation for violating a restraining order involving another woman, according to court records.
The victim submitted to a sexual assault examination. A nurse documented several injuries that corroborated her version of events.
Labatte was charged with a total of five felony charges, which include three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count each of domestic assault by strangulation and threats of violence. He appeared before a judge on Tuesday. His bail was set at $80,000. He is next scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 9.
The defendant has an exposure of up to 30 years in prison for each count of criminal sexual conduct, along with maximum sentences of three years and five years for the domestic assault and threats of violence charges.
The communications program manager for Violence Free Minnesota, Joe Shannon, said, “First, we would just like to say we are grateful that this woman is still alive,” according to KSTB.
Sarah Voigt, a spokesperson for St. Catherine’s declined to comment, citing student confidentiality.
“It is our policy at St. Catherine University not to issue any comment that would affect student confidentiality or potentially re-traumatize individuals. As this is an ongoing investigation, we do not wish to jeopardize the integrity of the case as it develops,” Voigt said in an email.
