A 20-year-old man agreed to plead guilty Friday after being charged with holding his girlfriend captive in her St. Catherine University dorm room for four days while he raped, beat and waterboarded her until she escaped.
Man admits he raped, held St. Kate’s student captive in dorm for days; sentence capped at 7½ years
The plea deal between the defense and the prosecution calls for Keanu Labatte to be sentenced to a term no longer than 7½ years.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
July 12, 2024 at 6:59PM
Keanu A. Labatte, of Granite Falls, Minn., said in Ramsey County District Court that he intends to admit to second-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with the attack in early September.
The plea deal between the defense and the prosecution calls for Labatte to be sentenced to a term no longer than 7½ years. He remains free on an $80,000 bond ahead of sentencing, which is scheduled for Nov. 4.
A spokesman for the County Attorney’s Office said prosecutors will ask for Labatte to receive the full 7½-year term.
The woman went to security at the Catholic women’s university in St. Paul to report the abuse she endured from Labatte, who had become enraged by texts, photos and social media content that he discovered upon his arrival on Sept. 7. Security immediately alerted police.
She told police that Labatte squeezed his hands around her neck until she “felt lightheaded and saw stars” and raped her.
On Sept. 9, he forced her into the bathtub and “engaged in waterboarding by covering her mouth with a wet washcloth,” the charges said. He also brandished a knife and threatened to kill her.
The woman escaped after persuading Labatte to let her go to the cafeteria, but she went to police, who noticed black, blue and red marks on her neck. While she was telling police what had happened to her, Labatte was calling and texting her cellphone, which he had given back to her under the condition that she take a photo of herself getting food. He texted at one point asking why the police were outside.
Police went to the woman’s room, found Labatte still there and arrested him.
At the time of his arrest, Labatte was on probation for violating a restraining order issued in November in Yellow Medicine County on behalf of a 17-year-old girl who had been his girlfriend.
Minnesota’s governor defined himself and fired up the party for the next campaign sprint during his prime speaking slot on the penultimate night of the Democratic National Convention.
