In Seattle, an attorney is accused of attacking and raping three women -- all Asian, all employed as massage therapists -- within the last month: Attorney charged with rape; police may have DNA evidence.47-year-old Danford "Dan" Grant, a married father of three, is charged with three counts of first-degree rape and one count each of first-degree burglary and second-degree rape. He is also charged with one count of attempted second-degree rape involving a fourth woman.
Court documents suggest that police may have DNA evidence connecting him to two of the alleged victims. Detectives believe the women were targeted because they're "particularly vulnerable" as non-English speakers and new immigrants:
Though detectives in the Seattle Police Department's Sexual Assault Unit initiated the investigation, the case has been turned over to the department's Vice and High Risk Victims Unit. But there is no evidence that any of the alleged victims were also victims of human-trafficking, or involved in prostitution, Lt. Ken Hicks said.Grant is also under investigation for similar attacks and sexual assaults on other victims. Who knows what the hell else this guy is responsible for. If he's found guilty, I hope he rots. Grant is scheduled to be arraigned on October 11. More here: Seattle attorney charged in attacks on 4 women.
"We are not investigating anyone involved in this scenario for prostitution. It's not part of the case," he said.
The department gave the case to the Vice and High Risk Victims Unit because "part of the expertise these detectives have is in this culture. They see all of the massage parlors," both legitimate businesses and those that are fronts for prostitution, Hicks said.
Hicks said detectives in the unit are also more accustomed to dealing with non-English speaking victims and securing the help of certified interpreters.
Two of the alleged victims don't speak English and a third speaks only broken English, according to charging documents.
Given the facts of the case, Hicks believes the women were targeted because they are "particularly vulnerable" as non-English speakers or relatively new immigrants.