US /

Missouri Woman: Fellow House Candidate Raped Me

His lawyer says accusations 'unfounded'
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Oct 2, 2016 2:00 PM CDT
Missouri Woman: Fellow House Candidate Raped Me
Cyclists fight their way up the hill in front of the Missouri Capitol building Friday, Sept. 14, 2007, during the fourth stage of the Tour of Missouri in Jefferson City, Mo.   (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

A Ferguson lawyer who is running for a seat in the Missouri House has accused another Democratic candidate of raping her during an August meeting to discuss how they could work together in the upcoming legislative session, the AP reports. Cora Faith Walker, 31, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which broke the story Saturday, that she was sexually assaulted by Steven Roberts Jr., a former assistant prosecutor, after going to meet him at a St. Louis apartment on the night of Aug. 26. Both candidates are black Democrats who are running unopposed for seats in a Legislature that is predominantly white and Republican. Walker said she had two glasses of wine and doesn't remember anything else that happened that night, and that she woke up the next morning in a bed in the home. She said she told her husband what had happened the next day, but that they waited several weeks before going to the police.

The Post-Dispatch reported that two "highly placed law enforcement sources" confirmed that there is an active investigation into Walker's allegations against Roberts. It didn't name the sources. The AP typically doesn't identify the alleged victims of sexual assault, but Walker asked the Post-Dispatch to name her, saying she hoped that doing so might give courage to women who are victims of rape and encourage a change in culture at the state capital, Jefferson City, which she said "perpetuates gender violence and rape culture." Roberts' lawyer, Scott Rosenblum, said Walker's allegations are "unfounded." "I think that we will be able to basically undermine those allegations pretty quickly," Rosenblum said. "Whatever happened between these individuals was absolutely consensual and I think we have what I would call objective evidence to support that." He declined to elaborate. (More rape stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X