Court documents: Oregon boy, 15, told detectives he suffocated, raped 5-year-old girl
By APWednesday, July 14, 2010
Documents: Ore. teen says he raped 5-year-old girl
ROSEBURG, Ore. — A teenage boy charged with the rape and murder of a 5-year-old girl told police he suffocated the child after she woke up while he was sexually abusing her, according to a court document.
Dustin Wallace, 16, told investigators that Sahara Dwight, who was asleep, jerked away when he started touching her early Friday, according to a probable cause affidavit filed by Roseburg police Detective Daniel Knott and released this week.
To slow Sahara’s struggling, he put his weight on the girl, placed his hand over her mouth and punched her in the stomach, Wallace said. He said he then raped the girl after she stopped moving.
The court documents said that after he was done, he checked the girl’s neck for a pulse but found none.
The girl’s mother called 911 early Friday to report her daughter was unconscious. Sahara was pronounced dead at the scene.
Wallace lives at the girl’s home with his father and Sahara’s mother. He told police that he entered Sahara’s bedroom, which she shared with a brother, after using the bathroom.
Wallace was arrested at the home in Roseburg and arraigned Monday on charges of rape, murder, sexual abuse and unlawful penetration. Although Wallace is being tried as an adult, he would not face the death penalty because he is under 18.
Results of the autopsy performed on the girl have not been released. The affidavit said blood was found on Sahara’s face and lower body.
Knott wrote that the blood on her mouth appeared to be caused by “trauma caused by pressure being applied to her mouth.”
Police found a necklace under the girl’s body after it was moved. Knott said it appeared to match the description of a necklace Wallace said he was missing after the struggle.
Wallace remained held without bail at the Douglas County Jail. His attorney, Don Scales, was out of his office Wednesday afternoon and did not immediately return a message.
Roseburg is more than 175 miles south of Portland, Ore.
Information from: The News-Review, www.nrtoday.com
