A former New Hampshire prep school senior accused of raping an underage freshman told police he experienced a religious epiphany and decided not to have sex with her, according to a detective.
“He said, after he put the condom on, it was sobering moment. He had a moment of self restraint and stopped. He called it a moment of divine inspiration,” Concord police detective Julie Curtin testified on Tuesday.
Owen Labrie, 19, who had planned to study theology at Harvard, is expected to testify in his own defense on Wednesday morning.
The state rested its case on Tuesday after two forensic investigators testified a sample taken from the girl’s underwear matched Labrie’s DNA profile but they were unable to conclude it was his sperm.
During almost four hours of interrogation by police, Labrie maintained he never sexually penetrated the 15-year-old girl last May while they were kissing on the fourth floor of the elite prep school’s science center. He said she agreed to meet him there as part of a tradition at the school known as “Senior Salute”, in which seniors offer romantic invitations to younger students.
The detective testified that Labrie met with two detectives for almost four hours and never asked for an attorney. Curtin said Labrie asked his mother to wait for him in the police department lobby and told detectives he would prefer they did not record the interview.
Curtin testified that Labrie was polite and cooperative, and the two spoke by telephone for an hour before Labrie returned from a vacation in Maine to meet with police.
Labrie first asked to meet in a cafe where his mother was present, Curtin said. They met there but when Labrie’s mother “kept interrupting”, Curtin said, they moved the interview to the police station at the detective’s request.
Curtin testified that Labrie told her that if he had had sexual intercourse with the girl and told police, it “would be the end of my life”.
Curtin said she asked Labrie what motive the accuser would have to lie about their encounter. He said some freshmen feel a sense of pride over losing their virginity to a senior, Curtin told the jury.
After the interview, Labrie sent the detective a copy of the essay he wrote as part of his application to Harvard. The university rescinded his admission after his indictment.
He also sent her information about St Paul’s Fine Tea and Chocolate Society, where he is a member, Curtin said.
During cross examination, Labrie’s attorney JW Carney Jr implied Curtin manipulated Labrie into meeting with police alone by suggesting he might not want his mother to hear police questions.
Now in its second week, the trial has cast a spotlight on the culture at the elite St Paul’s school, where annual tuition exceeds $50,000 and alumni include the US secretary of state, John Kerry.
Labrie faces three felony counts of aggravated sexual assault and other charges. If convicted, he could be sentenced to decades in prison.
Last week the girl spent more than seven hours on the witness stand over three days, giving graphic descriptions of a painful assault.
New Hampshire superior court judge Larry Smukler on Tuesday threw out a misdemeanor charge accusing Labrie of endangering the welfare of a child.
