Philadelphia Inquirer
Tuesday, April 30, 2002

Accused rapist stole underwear, officials say

Troy Graves also is charged with taking cash from victims in Colo., where he had a hearing yesterday.

By Barbara Boyer and Larry Fish,
INQUIRER STAFF WRITERS

FORT COLLINS, Colo. - The man charged with being the Center City rapist is also accused of stealing underwear and money from victims he sexually assaulted here, prosecutors revealed in court documents yesterday.

As Troy Graves, 29, made his first court appearance in person, the Larimer County District Attorney's Office released a 34-page court document with details of crimes allegedly committed against eight victims here.

The district court appearance of Graves, who was shackled at his ankles and wrists, appeared to upset at least two women observing the proceedings. At previous court dates, Graves appeared via closed-circuit TV.

Graves, a former Philadelphia resident, faces more than 40 charges in the Center City sexual assaults of six women and the murder of Wharton graduate student Shannon Schieber, 23. He is scheduled to appear in court again tomorrow regarding the Philadelphia charges.

Larimer County District Attorney Stuart VanMeveren later said he wants Graves tried in Colorado before he is returned to Philadelphia.

"There is some case law that would make it difficult for us to prosecute him here" if he first stood trial in Philadelphia, VanMeveren said. "... We haven't finished our research."

"I know they want him badly," VanMeveren said of Philadelphia authorities. "I understand."

Five news outlets want the judge to allow cameras in the courtroom for future court appearances as Graves faces charges in the sex assaults near Colorado State University. The Fort Collins Coloradoan newspaper filed a motion asking that a gag order be removed, and other local organizations have joined in.

The gag order will be discussed in court Thursday.

During yesterday's hearing before Judge Terence Gilmore, Graves said little other than to acknowledge that he understood his legal rights. He agreed to waive his right to a preliminary hearing within 30 days to give his public defender, Kathryn Hay, enough time to obtain and review legal documents detailing the evidence against him.

The defendant, who stood tall and slender, was dressed in red prison scrubs with a short-sleeve shirt hiding a tattoo on his right arm.

Graves, who is assigned to Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyo., was charged last week after detectives in this college town and in Philadelphia matched DNA found at crime scenes.

The crimes in both states were similar in that the assailant preyed upon women living in college communities, slipped into open windows and doors, and assaulted them, sometimes in their own beds.

The attacks in Philadelphia took place from 1997 through 1999. In Colorado, the assaults occurred in the last two years, and the assailant became more brazen. In one attack, he entered an apartment with two women inside, assaulted one, and attempted to assault the other, authorities said.

The lengthy court document charges Graves with 27 counts that include the sexual assaults of at least six women and attempted sexual contact of at least two other women between May 2001 and April 12.

During an assault on July 26, 2001, Graves is accused of stealing the underwear and bra of one victim he sexually assaulted. In four of the assaults, he is accused of stealing money.

The information distinguishes between the types of sexual assaults committed against the women. In some charges, Graves is accused of attempted assault, while others specify sexual assaults had been carried out. Colorado law does not use the term rape as Pennsylvania law does, but in at least four of the cases, the victims were raped.

On Thursday, Judge Gilmore will hear arguments and consider whether to allow cameras in the courtroom.

Graves' attorney objected to having cameras but did not address whether she would oppose lifting the gag order. Hay, however, said she would expect lawyers to adhere to the American Bar Association standards and the Colorado Cannon of Professional Ethics, which allow for the release of some information without compromising a defendant's right to a fair trial.

"Our request, certainly, is not to infringe on First Amendment rights," Hay said, adding that she would prepare a written argument for Thursday's hearing.

The charges against Graves in Philadelphia could carry a death sentence. Graves is being held without bail and remains in the Larimer County Detention Center.