Woman names Porter as man who assaulted her

Kim Smith

Friday, Nov. 3, 2000 | 10:56 a.m.

A woman testified Thursday at the preliminary hearing for rape and murder suspect Justin Porter that the 17-year-old suspect was the person who broke down the door of her apartment and choked and sexually assaulted her before setting fire to the place.

Metro Police say Porter invaded 13 homes between Feb. 1 and June 9. A man was slain and six women were sexually assaulted during the crime spree.

Thursday was the sixth day in the preliminary hearing for Porter, who faces 57 felony counts. A 58th count was dropped by prosecutors Thursday.

Justice of the Peace Nancy Oesterle is presiding over the preliminary hearing.

The woman who testified Thursday said Porter knocked on her door three days before the attack, identified himself as "Jugs," and asked for a person who had previously lived in the apartment.

She said she told Porter that the person no longer lived there. She said he then asked if he could make a call and that she passed him a cordless phone through her chained door. Porter used the phone and left, she said.

When she refused to let him in three nights later, he kicked down the door, the woman testified.

"I heard a couple of bangs on the door, and he was in," the woman said. "I picked up the phone and started to dial 911, and he slapped me, knocked me to the ground and took the phone away from me."

The woman quoted Porter as saying, "Why did you (disrespect) me, bitch?"

The woman said that Porter also grabbed a steak knife from her kitchen and demanded cash.

After taking $44 from her purse and a 10-carat gold ring from her hand, Porter choked her with a lamp cord while asking her, "Why don't you just die bitch?" the woman said.

When she failed to die, Porter sexually assaulted her twice, using household items as condoms, the woman testified.

After the second attack, the woman said she dressed.

"I stood up off the bed and he lunged forward and he stabbed me," the woman said. The woman said she was stabbed twice but fought when Porter went for her throat.

"I realized he was trying to kill me, so I tried to kick him," the woman said.

After the ensuing struggle, Porter was behind her.

"Eventually he ended up with his arm around my neck and strangled me until I lost consciousness," the woman said.

When she came to, the woman said, Porter forced her to bathe and clean the fingernails. They fought again when she refused to put the lamp cord around her neck a second time, she said.

Eventually, Porter ordered her to go into the bathroom. A short time later, she heard the fire alarm going off and began smelling smoke. When she realized Porter had left, she tried to leave only to discover a dresser had been shoved against the doo, she said.

She was able to kick the dresser over and escaped the burning apartment.

"I was just as frightened by what was outside as the fire inside," the woman said, staring directly at Porter.

"What were you frightened by?" Deputy District Attorney Teresa Lowry said.

"That young man right there," the woman said, pointing at Porter, who had kept his face averted from her throughout her testimony.

According to prosecutors, Porter told police he had consensual sex with the woman and at least three other women he is accused of attacking.

The hearing is expected to continue Monday.