Suspect in rape, robbery denies knowledge of the crime
Tevin Rainey told police investigating the rape and robbery of an 87-year-old Westmont woman that he was in Chicago on the night of Dec. 31, 2014, "getting drunk and getting high" with his cousin and a friend.
During his interrogation on Jan. 3, 2015, Rainey said he didn't return to his Bolingbrook home until about 11 a.m. the next day.
But Rainey, 23, could not explain why he seems to appear on security footage from a gas station camera just feet away from the Westmont apartment where the woman was attacked around 5 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2015.
"You don't have pictures of me," Rainey told investigators in the video played in DuPage County court Wednesday, the second day of his trial on charges of aggravated criminal sexual assault, armed robbery, home invasion and aggravated kidnapping of the woman. "I told you, I was in Chicago."
Police aren't the only ones saying Rainey was at the gas station that morning.
Store clerk Rich Chanilo testified Wednesday that he recognized Rainey as a "frequent" customer, but the two trips Rainey made to store about 15 minutes apart early on Jan. 1 were unusual.
Chanilo said Rainey first entered the store around 5 a.m. and bought $2 worth of cigars before leaving. Rainey returned a short time later, Chanilo said, attempting to purchase a pair of blue ski gloves and a box of condoms.
Chanilo said Rainey asked how much the items cost but then left them at the counter saying he had to get money from his car. He never returned.
Prosecutors say Rainey left the station and entered the woman's nearby first-floor apartment through an unlocked sliding door.
After sexually assaulting the woman in her bed, Rainey is accused of forcing her to drive to a bank and withdraw about $300 from her savings and checking accounts.
The victim, who testified she never saw her attacker's face, said she then drove the man to a Woodridge apartment complex and asked him for directions back to her house.
Once home, she called 911 and was treated for injuries at a hospital.
During Rainey's interrogation, he repeatedly told investigators he was not familiar with Westmont or the area of the apartment complex.
A stipulation read in court by Assistant State's Attorney Cathy DeLaMar, however, stated that Rainey lived in the same complex, directly across the parking lot from the victim, from January to August 2014.
DeLaMar said Rainey was arrested on the evening of Jan. 2, 2015, when he was seen leaving the Waterbury apartment complex with another man. Rainey was a passenger in the car.
During the traffic stop, police found the gun believed to be used in the attack under the driver's side floor mat.
DeLaMar said Rainey's DNA, along with the victim's, were found on the grip of the gun, on the victim's underwear and on the passenger seat of the victim's car.
Rainey's attorney, Assistant Public Defender Jennifer Maples, said she believes the evidence, including some DNA, will prove Rainey's innocence.
The bench trial before Judge Brian Telander continues Thursday and is expected to conclude next week.