St. Paul Student Said He Had a 'Divine Inspiration,' Did Not Commit Rape

The trial of Owen Labrie continued this week, the former student at the elite St. Paul’s School who is accused of raping a 15-year-old classmate. On Tuesday, Detective Julie Curtin testified that Labrie told her he didn’t rape the girl. Labrie told the officer in initial interviews that he did put on a condom for what he claimed was going to be consensual sex, but then left the room after experiencing what he described as “divine inspiration.”

According to the Boston Globe, Curtin testified that Labrie told her he had a premonition that continuing with the encounter would be “the end of my life:”

[Curtin] said he acknowledged putting a condom on during a “consensual encounter.” However, Labrie told the detective he abruptly left the girl after a moment of “divine inspiration.”

According to Curtin, Labrie told her it “would be the end of my life” if he said he had sex with the girl.

Curtin also said that Labrie, now 19, frequently changed the subject during police interviews. From the Globe:

“When talking to police about the allegation, Curtin said, Labrie often sidetracked conversations to mention his accomplishments in school. He sent her his college essay, and at one point asked, “Do you know anything about me?”

Two criminalists from the State Police Lab testified that a “strong indication of semen” was found in the girl’s underwear, and that it matched Labrie’s DNA profile.

The alleged victim previously testified that she tried to be “as polite as possible” to Labrie while refusing to have sex with him, and froze as he penetrated her without her permission.

Image via AP.