Keanu Labatte was arrested for criminal sexual misconduct for the terrifying kidnapping in Minnesota (Picture: AP)
A man in Minnesota was arrested for holding his girlfriend hostage in her college dorm room, where he allegedly raped and tortured her for three days.
Keanu Labatte, 19, was arrested on Sunday at St Catherine University, an all-female college in St Paul, Minnesota.
The attacker was only caught after his girlfriend, who has not been identified, was able to escape from her captivity for a moment and seek help from campus security.
Labatte, from Granite Falls, originally planned to spend a romantic weekend with his girlfriend in St Paul, according to a criminal complaint.
But according to prosecutors, Labatte ‘discovered text messages, pictures, and social media information which infuriated him.’
Beginning on Thursday, September 7, Labatte took his girlfriend’s phone and held hostage in her own dorm room at knifepoint.
According to the complaint, Labatte punched her in the face and stomach, and strangled her until ‘she was unable to breathe, felt lightheaded and saw stars.’
He also threatened her with the knife, telling her he was ‘looking for the right vein to cut deep enough so no one could save her.’
She also detailed horrific torture over the course of the three days, including an instance where Labatte allegedly waterboarded her. The victim told police he ‘filled a bucket, forced her to lay in the bathtub, put a washcloth over her face and poured water over her.’
The victim was able to escape on Sunday, September 10, after telling Labatte she was leaving to get food from the college dining hall. Instead, she ran to campus security.
Security notified police, who immediately noticed black, red, and blue marks on her neck consistent with being strangled.
Labatte was arrested in his girlfriend’s dorm room, where he only told police: ‘I plead the 5th.’ A search of the dorm room uncovered a folding knife in his backpack.
Labatte was charged with three counts of criminal sexual misconduct, one count of domestic violence by strangulation, and one count of making threats of violence.
If convicted, he could face up to 30 years in prison for each misconduct charge.
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