15-year-old boy arrested in woman’s ‘brutal’ rape, beating in Renton

Police arrested a 15-year-old boy Thursday in the beating and rape of a woman in Renton.

In an attack that Renton police described as “brutal,” the 31-year-old victim was raped, beaten, choked and kicked early Wednesday on the banks of the Cedar River, near a Christian school and the Renton Public library.

The boy was taken into custody after being interviewed by detectives and admitting to the crime, according to investigators.

Police said several pieces of evidence that supported the teenager’s confession and directly tied him to the attack were found while serving a search warrant at a Renton home.

“Video evidence collected over the last few days showed the suspect contacting the victim in Seattle, traveling with her to Renton and then leading her to the crime scene, where additional video captured him alternately beating and raping the unconscious woman for an hour,” police said in a news release Friday.

Officers said the suspect was one of two teenage boys who were photographed trying to sell the victim’s phone at a kiosk at the Rainier Avenue Fred Meyer the day after the attack. Investigators said a photo, which police released earlier this week, led to numerous tips that identified both boys.

The picture showed one boy facing the camera and another boy off to the side. Investigators said they initially believed the boy facing the camera was the primary suspect, but later learned that he was only an acquaintance and knew nothing about the crime.

The teenager was booked into the King County Youth Center for investigation of first-degree rape and first-degree assault. Additional charges are possible.