Dont people know hitchhiking in any form is trouble? Heck, even my kids know not to go jumping into strangers cars!
Richmond County sheriff's investigators arrested a former restaurant manager accused of raping a woman last month and then planning to throw her into the Savannah River.
Willie Lee Cuyler, 41, was found Thursday hiding in the closet at an apartment in the 2400 block of Amsterdam Drive, according to sheriff's Sgt. Blaise Dresser. Deputies went to the home after receiving a tip.
Investigators have previously said they believe a homicide might have been averted when the 30-year-old victim -- nude except for a bloody sheet and comforter wrapped around her body -- leaped from the suspect's gold Chevrolet Impala at the intersection of Peach Orchard and Windsor Spring roads Sept. 6.
This is what happened, according to a sheriff's report:
The victim told police she was walking on Ninth Street about 5:50 a.m. when a man asked whether she would like a ride home. Once she was inside the car, the man wouldn't let her leave and drove her to his residence in the 2100 block of Reedale Avenue.
After forcing the woman to have sex, the man began strangling her with a wire hanger, telling the victim: "I am going to kill you: You're going to die," she said.
The victim said she struggled free, and the attacker tried to smother her with a pillow. He left the room after she fought him off and returned with a broken wooden plunger handle and began beating her on her back.
He bound the woman's hands, possibly with a telephone cord, then wrapped her in a green sheet and comforter covered with her blood.
He then "placed her in the back seat of his vehicle and told her he was going to throw her in the river," she said. But she was able to get free and jump from the moving car. A witness helped her out of the road.
Investigators determined that Mr. Cuyler was a manager at the International House of Pancakes restaurant at 3125 Peach Orchard Road, and the incident occurred at a home that is rented to the restaurant's employees, the report stated.
Investigators also arrested the leaseholder for the Amsterdam Drive apartment, 26-year-old Alice Herndon, on charges of hindering the apprehension of a felon.
Ms. Herndon had been allowing the suspect to stay at her home since the attack. A third person, Carey Bryant, was also arrested for an outstanding warrant from Burke County.
Reach Adam Folk at (706) 823-3339 or adam.folk@augustachronicle.com.
Comments
Dont people know hitchhiking in any form is trouble? Heck, even my kids know not to go jumping into strangers cars!
Deborah--How callous can you be? How about focusing on the scum who did this, not on the victim?
i think that this man is a sick jerk..i hope when he goes to jail he will get rapped, just like he rapped her, but ten times worse..people like this should not be put in jail they need to be put under it. i hope that she has brothers and once he gets out because we all know that he will,i hope they beat the living daylight out of this stupid jerk. to where he will never do this again
Deborah has a point. There are way too many crazies out there. We need to take every precaution not to put ourselves in dangerous or compromising positions. That being said, there is no cure for someone like Cuyler. He needs to be permanently removed from all access to society.
There are evil predators out there, but that does not excuse the stupidity which their victims sometimes exhibit. Deborah is right.
As " stupid" ( your word not mine" as she may have been it does not excuse what this low life did.
Hitchhiking or not...no one should be treated that way....no one! That man is one sick s-b.
Great job for arresting those harboring a criminal! they need to be sentenced to some jail time. It is time to send a message to
people who choose to assist criminals.
IHOP os renting a house to employees? What are they illegal aliens like the group living on Crosscreek drive? For those that don't know, the Crosscreek address has about a dozen illegals and talk about run down. I just hope when they finally leave there is nothing but a shell left for the landlord.
I heard that this guy was one month out of prison. and he was a manager at IHOP. Hmmm does prison time count for leadership experience? I mean, im for giving people second chances and all if they are deserving, but straight to management? thats a questionable decision.
Sassygirl, don't you mean RAPED? I'm sure he's had enough rapping already. We all have. But he RAPED her not RAPPED HER.
The victim is not to blame here although I agree with others that we have to take precautions to protect ourselves and getting into cars with or picking up strangers is a bad idea no matter what time of the day or night. I just hope the victim will be ok and be able to eventually put this behind her and I hope he gets back in jail what he did to her.
do not blame the victim, do not blame the victim cause you can't fix stupid
What a strong woman to not succumb to this form of torture. I hope she recovers well and puts this guy where he belongs at the trial. This man does not appreciate a woman. Bubba will take care of him in a manner which he will learn to appreciate.
Justus4 your last six words said it all. "Will be convicted for HIS actions".
"He was found hiding in a closet"......not so very big and bad when they come for you huh scumbag?..Guess what?.. there are no closets in prison but there are some really big brotha's who want you to feel the love with them.
"convicted for his actions"....now that would be a shame.
Deborah made a good point. No one should ever get in a car with someone they don't know. In this world today no woman should be on any street walking at 5:50 AM. Is it even daylight at this hour?? I do hope he gets many years for this. What was he in prison for?
but it is what hookers do
Maybe the woman was walking home after working a night shift and was relieved when a man stopped to offer her a ride home. Maybe she's seen him at IHOP and thought she was safe. Maybe she worked for him--wouldn't that be a reason to kill her? Maybe y'all are jumping to conclusions that she was in some way at fault.
This man needs to be questioned with the lie detector if necessary in the deaths of any other females whose bodies were found in the vicinity of the Savannah River or for that matter, the CSRA. Maybe this was the first woman that escaped, or escaped and was believed. Even if the woman getting in the car is suspicious in any way, that act is not punishable by rape or possible murder, and no one deserves that. BTW, Amsterdam Drive is in Barton Village. It's a shame we don't have anyone of Moses Todd's caliber around to straighten that area back up.
progressives strike again...........
My prayers are with this victim. I pray that she is able to overcome this. This poor excuse for a man needs to be put away for life so he can never harm another human being. It's hard to believe that anyone would try to hinder his being caught. Ms. Heredon could have been next.
Cowardly [filtered word]. Hiding in a closet indicates that he is not as big a bully with someone equal or better than him, huh? He will be paid back where he is going.
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