A Kentucky man is accused of raping a guest at his wedding in October 2025 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. According to the US media, which reported the accusations made by the police, the sexual assault occurred the night before the wedding.
The accused, a 38-year-old, faces several serious charges, including rape by physical constraint and rape of an unconscious victim. The documents from the Bonneauville Borough court, cited by the Hanover Evening Sun newspaper, reconstruct the facts on the basis of an affidavit, or a sworn declaration on the probable causes of the crime.
The reconstruction of the facts
According to court documents, the woman had reached the city of Gettysburg on October 16 to attend the wedding of the man’s future wife. On the night between 16 and 17 October, the victim found herself alone with her groom in a house in Bonneauville Borough, after the others present had gone to sleep.
The woman told officers that she had rejected several advances from the 38-year-old during the evening, including non-consensual kisses. She then said she lost consciousness in the kitchen and woke up naked in a bedroom, with her clothes lying next to her, without remembering what had happened.
On October 17, police responded to WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital after healthcare workers reported an alleged sexual assault. Investigators also collected evidence inside the home. Contacted by the officers, the accused man refused to make a statement.
The role of DNA and the “beautiful marriage”
A search warrant was executed in October and the biological sample was sent to the Pennsylvania State Police forensic laboratory. In March, investigators received the results of the analysis.
According to what police declared in documents filed in court, the male DNA profile isolated during the medical examination for the sexual assault was “about 95 billion times more likely” to belong to the 38-year-old suspect than to another individual.
The man was released on bail on Thursday after a formal reading of the charges, but will appear in court again for a preliminary hearing set for August 12.
The wedding was celebrated anyway, on October 18th. Proof of this are some photos published on Facebook and a message left by the bride’s aunt and reported by Newsweek: “It was a beautiful wedding, I’m so happy for you!”.