David Giles
William Taylor
CRUZ BAY — V.I. Police Department officers arrested two men visiting from Virginia on charges of raping a woman they met during St. John Festival.
William Taylor, 26, and David Giles, 29, were arrested and charged with rape in the first degree after a victim positively identified both males as the two who sexually assaulted her.
The victim met the men in Cruz Bay during the recent celebration of St. John Festival, which includes late-night music, dancing and drinking.
“The victim first encountered the males while attending events at the St. John Festival in the early morning of June 28,” according to a prepared statement by VIPD. “During that time the males took the victim to another location where she was sexually assaulted and then returned to the Festival activities.”
The two weren’t arrested until July 4 when the victim saw the men in Festival Village, according to information from the VIPD.
“Police said the victim saw the suspects again on July 4, in the area of the Festival Village and pointed the suspects out to police officers who were patrolling nearby,” according to VIPD’s prepared statement. “The officers informed the Criminal Investigation detectives who were investigating the case, and the two suspects were arrested and charged with rape first degree.”
A report in the V.I. Daily News, citing VIPD Officer Kira Browne’s probable cause fact sheet included much more information about the rape case. According to the report, after meeting the victim, Giles and Taylor drove her to a home where they were staying and tried to force her to have sex with them.
“Initially Taylor tried to have sex with the victim, but she told him no and resisted, after which point Giles started having sex with her, which ‘initially she did not reject,’ according to the probable cause fact sheet,” read the Daily News report. “While the victim was having sex with Giles, Taylor tried to force the victim to perform oral sex on him, and the victim then asked what was going on and asked for the men to stop, Browne wrote.”
“The victim then became upset and started throwing up, angering the men, who then told the victim she had to leave, the fact sheet said,” according to the V.I. Daily News report. “The men then gathered her belongings, put her in the vehicle and dropped her off in downtown Cruz Bay, Browne wrote.”
Back in the Cruz Bay in the early morning hours of June 28, the victim ran into a friend who took her to Myrah Keating Smith Community Health Center, where a rape kit test was performed, according to the V.I. Daily News report.
According VIPD officials, Taylor is originally from California and Giles is from Virginia. Both suspects were placed on $75,000 bail each.
