Starkville Municipal Court Judge Rodney Faver on Wednesday bound Terry Lamont Hill, 42, of West Point, over to the Oktibbeha County grand jury on felony rape, kidnapping and robbery charges.
Hill is one of two men accused of beating, subduing and locking a male victim in a Cotton District home’s closet and raping a female victim on May 1.
New details about the assault emerged during Wednesday’s probable cause hearing.
Starkville Police Department Det. Jonathan Headley testified DNA obtained from the female victim matched oral swabs procured via search warrant from Hill.
It is unknown if DNA evidence also matches Jerry Lee Talley Jr., 29, of McCool, who was arrested in May and faces similar felonies.
Headley testified Hill and Talley used the pretense of returning to the Maxwell Street home to find lost cellphones on May 1.
Once they were allowed in, he said, the attack began.
The male victim was beaten with a blunt object to a point of being dazed, Headley testified. The victim suspected he was struck multiple times with a glass ashtray, Headley said, but was not completely sure of the exact weapon. The ashtray was not taken into evidence by SPD.
The male victim told investigators the attackers said “if he didn’t lay still, he would be killed,” Headley testified.
Faver ruled the inconclusive evidence surrounding the non-traditional weapon, coupled with the male victim’s lack of life-threatening injuries, did not meet the standard of binding the aggravated assault charge over to the grand jury.
An iPhone was taken from the victim, which officers would later track to locate Hill.
When the man regained full awareness, Headley said, he found his hands being tied behind his back with shoelaces.
A struggle ensued, Headley testified, and the victim was forced into a closet. In the process, he said, the victim was able to release his hands enough from the binding to drag the female victim’s cellphone into the closet.
From there, he placed an 18-minute call to 911. The call’s length was extended, Headley said, because the victim had to keep his voice at a whisper so he wouldn’t alert his captors, who stood outside the door.
As one suspect held the door shut, Headley testified, the other forced the female victim to have intercourse against her consent.
Testimony on Talley’s alleged actions, his whereabouts as officers arrived at the scene and other details was held to a minimum Tuesday, but Headley said Hill was at the Maxwell Street home when officers arrived.
An affidavit for simple assault on a police officer obtained by The Dispatch states Hill allegedly ran into and pushed a SPD sergeant out of the home’s doorway and escaped the scene. That action also led to the misdemeanor failure to obey charge.
The female victim was transported to OCH Regional Medical Center. Detectives had to wait almost four hours before interviewing her because of her “state of shock,” Headley testified. He said the victim claimed both men raped her.
SPD tracked the male victim’s phone to an area near Mississippi State University’s campus. The suspect allegedly accessed a cellar door, Headley testified, and was found under a home in the Oktoc Road area.
Hill shouted, “I’m working down here,” as police convened on his location and was found in possession of the cellphone after he was detained, Headley said.
Hill admitted to being at the Maxwell Street location that night, Headley testified, but allegedly said he found the victim’s lost cellphone and was attempting to return it to the rightful owner.
The female victim was shown a photograph of Hill taken after his arrest, and she identified her attacker, Headley said. A lineup was not used in Hill’s identification process.
Talley was arrested days after Hill was taken into custody. He was also charged with felony rape, robbery, kidnapping and aggravated assault.
Both men’s bonds were previously set at a combined $1.1 million, and they remain in police custody.
Anyone with information about this or any other crime is asked to call SPD at 662-323-4131 or the Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers at 800-530-7150.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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