Man charged for allegedly raping woman with brain injury

RIGBY – A 21-year-old man is facing charges after police say he raped a woman with a traumatic brain injury.

Hunter Howell was charged with felony sexual abuse of a vulnerable adult.

On Nov. 27, 2021, a rape was reported to the Rigby City Police Department by a woman who said Howell, who was 18 at the time, had raped her daughter.

According to court documents, the victim was 21 at the time, but has a traumatic brain injury and functions mentally at a 6- to 7-year-old level.

Howell’s family says Hunter is also mentally disabled, suffering from a learning disability, bipolar disorder, and ADHD.

They tell EastIdahoNews.com that at the time this occurred, Howell was living in a group home with other disabled individuals.

We’ve reached out to the Jefferson County prosecutor for confirmation on Howell’s disabilities.

The woman’s mother said her daughter went on a double date on Nov. 9 with three other people to the movies. When she returned home, the victim “ran inside crying and went to her room and shut the door, not telling (her mother) what had gone on during the date.”

On Nov. 29, the victim told her mother that Howell had taken her back to his apartment instead of going to the movies with the other couple.

At the apartment, Howell allegedly raped her. The victim told her mother it caused her to be in “a lot of pain.”

According to the mother, the victim said Howell apologized for “forcing her on the first date” and continually asked her to “make out,” which she understood as having sex, through text messages. The victim says she said no because Howell had a girlfriend.

An officer asked if the victim had been taken to a doctor yet, and her mother responded no but that she was “most likely going to take her in.”

When the mother asked the victim how she knew Howell, she said he “only knew him from her shuttle ride to and from physical therapy she attended in Idaho Falls.”

On Dec. 1, 2021, the victim had a forensic interview at the Upper Valley Child Advocacy Center.

According to police reports, the victim told the interviewer that Howell told her “not to tell anyone about this.”

On Nov. 3, 2023, an officer met with Howell to question him about the allegations. When asked if he knew the victim, he responded that he knew of her but did not know her.

Howell stated he did not know her two years before, when the victim says the rape occurred. He also denied having any sexual contact with the victim, and said he didn’t even recognize her name.

According to police reports, Howell was “flushed and was avoiding eye contact” during the interview. The officer states in the report that Howell “exhibited extended, continuous forms of nervousness.” Howell then repeated that he has never had any contact with the victim, and she had never been in his house.

Later, the officer was told that Howell was admitted to the behavioral health unit at Madison Memorial Hospital for suicidal ideations during the interview with the officer.

According to court documents, Howell disclosed that he did rape the victim.

On Nov. 17, 2023, the officer met with Howell again, who said he did know the victim and that she had been his girlfriend since 2020.

When asked if he remembered the night of the alleged rape, he said yes, and reportedly stated he “invited her over to have pizza and watch a movie. And after that, we did something. Sex.”

When asked what level of involvement the victim had during the sexual interaction, Howell responded, “Medium.” When asked what that meant, Howell answered that he could not remember.

The officer asked what the victim’s emotional state was like when she was leaving, and Howell stated, “So-so,” before saying she was “happy, happy, between happy and, umm, just happy.”

According to Howell, he has not spoken to the victim since that night. The officer notes that his “face became flushed, (he) was avoiding eye contact, continually touching his face, and picking at his hands during the duration of my questions.”

On Jan. 9, 2024, the officer called the victim’s mother and confirmed that Howell would have been able to “discern that (the victim) had developmental delays” because she has known him since she was a child.

Howell was summoned to appear for his initial appearance on March 4 and a no-contact order was issued for the victim.

He is expected to appear again for a preliminary hearing on March 21. If convicted, he could face up to 25 years in prison.

Though Howell has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.