Texas serial rapist is targeting young men

A rapist targeting young men in a Texas refinery town has struck at least five times since April, stalking each victim in advance to make sure he8217;s home alone.

A rapist targeting young men in a Texas refinery town has struck at least five times since April, stalking each victim in advance to make sure he8217;s home alone.

Police in Baytown, 25 miles east of Houston, say the victims are in their late teens or early twenties and live with their parents. The attacker breaks into the young man8217;s home, or surprises him near the front door and forces him inside. He sexually assaults the victim at gunpoint, sometimes wields a knife, then demands money or valuables.

8220;He8217;s always been careful to make sure no one else is home when he confronts them,8217;8217; Baytown Police Captain Roger Clifford said. 8220;There have been no witnesses.8221;

While cases of serial rapists targeting women are well-documented, reports of a serial rapist targeting men are far less common. The assaults started in April and have occurred every 30 to 60 days. Investigators are working with the FBI to develop a profile of the attacker, described as a light-skinned black male who is 18 to 21 years old, 5 feet 6 inches to 6 feet tall, and weighs about 200 pounds. The victims are white and 8220;fairly identical in stature,8217;8217; Clifford said. 8220;He8217;s bigger and can dominate them.8217;8217; Women who have been raped are often reluctant to come forward for fear of being ostracised or victimised again; for men those feelings can be even more amplified, police say.

In the Baytown attacks, police suspect even more young men have been assaulted, but they are ashamed to come forward. Some of the five known victims told police about the attacks after initially reporting a robbery, Clifford said. 8220;When you8217;re talking about the humiliation of being dominated and threatened with your life to perform sexual acts, it8217;s understandable.8217;8217; But, he said, police need help catching the attacker. 8220;We don8217;t have any solid leads in this case at all. We need a break.8217;8217;

Rapes aren8217;t always reported by men because 8220;they8217;re afraid they may be perceived as homosexual or their masculinity may be threatened,8217;8217; said Lynn Parrish, spokeswoman for the Rape, Abuse 038; Incest National Network. 8220;When someone goes through it, the effects can be devastating, especially if you8217;re male. It8217;s important that they reach out and get help.8217;8217; Surveys conducted by the Department of Justice have shown that one in 10 rape victims is male, and 1 in 33 men is a victim of sexual assault.