2 days ago
Shocking new claim made at rape trial of Irish firefighter accused of attacking drunk woman in Boston hotel
An Irish firefighter accused of raping a drunk lawyer during a St. Patrick's Day trip to Boston left no DNA on her body, his trial was told.
Terrence Crosbie's attorneys told a Boston court on Wednesday that the lack of genetic material suggested their client was innocent of the March 2024 sex attack.
Crosbie, who was visiting Boston from Dublin for St Patrick's Day, is accused of raping the 29 year-old lawyer shortly after she'd had drunken but consensual sex with his hotel roommate Liam O'Brien, the Boston Globe reported.
During Wednesday's hearing, the court was also told how a vaginal tear had been found during a medical examination on the woman afterwards.
But defense attorneys asserted that the injury could have happened during the consensual encounter at the Omni Parker House hotel with O'Brien, who is also a firefighter.
They further alleged the woman had gaps in her memory, didn't know the name of the man she had slept with, and failed to mention any tattoos - despite the suspect having visible ink on his body.
Crosbie, a married father of two daughters, was away from his family for the fateful trip to Boston and was arrested on a JetBlue flight as he tried to flee back to Ireland.
'Would you be surprised if she said otherwise?' an officer asked. 'One hundred percent,' he replied.
Sounding agitated, Crosbie then asked: 'Am I being accused of something or is Liam being accused of something?'
He recounted drinking at several bars, including The Dubliner and The Black Rose, before returning to the hotel and finding O'Brien in their room 'with a girl.' Not wanting to intrude, he said he waited in a hallway chair for hours.
Later, he returned to the room, used his key card to enter, and said: 'Is it OK if I come in?'
He told police he used the flashlight on his phone, saw no one in the room, and got into bed. Moments later, the woman left the room. 'I didn't see anyone,' he said.
The woman, however, told the court that after consensual sex with O'Brien, she moved to the second bed and woke up to find another man assaulting her.
She alleges that man is Crosbie, who denies a charge of rape.
'I woke up, and a guy was inside of me,' she said tearfully, reading a text she sent to a friend shortly after the alleged incident.
Boston Police Detective Joseph McDonough confirmed that Crosbie's DNA was not found on the woman, and that she never mentioned any tattoos - which would have been visible in 'booking photos.'
Defense attorney Daniel Reilly grilled McDonough about inconsistencies in the woman's account, including the fact that she didn't know O'Brien's name and failed to mention hugging or shaking hands with Crosbie earlier that night.
'Fair to say you were aware [the woman] had gaps in her memory?' Reilly asked. 'Yes,' McDonough replied.
Security footage showed the woman and O'Brien entering the hotel at 11:51 p.m., with Crosbie arriving shortly after. Lock records showed him entering the room at 1:55 a.m., and the woman leaving at 2:16 a.m.
Medical staff testified that the woman had a 'vaginal tear', but confirmed it could result from consensual sex.
'Would you agree that could be from consensual sexual activity?' Reilly asked nurse Lindsay Walsh. 'Yes,' she responded.
Crosbie's legal team now suggests the woman may have mistakenly believed she was assaulted by the wrong man - setting the stage for a high-stakes battle over memory, evidence, and identity in the days ahead.
Earlier in the trial, the woman wept in Suffolk Superior Court as she recalled the moment she woke up to a man 'inside of her' at the historic downtown hotel.
Crosbie, who was in town as part of a Dublin Fire Brigade delegation for the St. Patrick's Day parade, has been jailed since his arrest. Prosecutors described the incident as a 'nightmare' attack on a sleeping woman.
The woman - whose identity is being withheld - became emotional as she viewed photographs of the hotel room and security footage of herself leaving.
She testified that Crosbie whispered: 'This guy is sleeping. I know you want this.'
She said she screamed: 'What are you doing? Stop!'
Under questioning, she told the jury Crosbie followed her around the room, tried to kiss her, and pushed her against the wall as she gathered her belongings.
'I just wanted to get out of there,' she sobbed. 'I didn't know anyone. I just wanted to get out.'
She said she had spent March 14 bar hopping - starting with a work party at Big Night Live at 1:45 p.m., then heading to State Street Provisions, and ending up at The Black Rose around 9 p.m.
She admitted drinking five or six beers but insisted she was 'totally coherent,' saying alcohol had no 'negative impact' on her judgment, even if it made her feel 'looser.'
After meeting O'Brien at The Black Rose, she went back to his hotel room at around 11:30 p.m. - unaware he was sharing it with Crosbie.
She said she had consensual sex with O'Brien before falling asleep in the other bed - only to allegedly wake up to the assault moments later.
Back in 2017 Crosbie wrote about wanting to visit Amsterdam and see a soccer game before adding a questionable comment
The Irish fireman is accused of raping a woman in Boston has a history of disturbing posts, including one where he shared his desire to 'rupture his wife's cervix'
Prosecutor Daniela Mendes told jurors that Crosbie returned to the room, found the woman 'vulnerable and defenseless,' and 'took full, violent advantage of it.'
Reilly, meanwhile, continued to press the accuser on her shifting account, asking about the lighting in the room and whether she accurately recalled what Crosbie said.
'It's fair to say your testimony from yesterday doesn't match what you first told the detective?' he asked. 'Yes,' she replied.
At the hospital, her blood alcohol level was .135 - well over the legal driving limit of 0.08. When asked if she was still impaired at the time, she said: 'I guess.'
However, nurse Carly Littlejohn testified the woman was medically cleared to undergo evidence collection - indicating she was sober enough to give informed consent for the procedure.
Last year, reported on Crosbie's disturbing social media history.
In a 2017 post, he wrote about wanting to visit Amsterdam to watch a football game, saying: 'Ajax away be a descent (sic) trip. 6ft blondes & most unreported rape capital of Europe sure even if it's Vigo vs Lyon be worth a trip.'
And in a 2021 tweet to his wife on her birthday, he wrote: 'Happy Birthday babe. I will rupture your cervix later.'
