Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Jamal Tompkins Facing Jury Trial for Rape of Mentally Disabled Girl in Baldwin

Trial began in February.

UPDATE: Jamal Tompkins' jury trial is ongoing and is scheduled to resume again on Sept. 4, 2012.

Jamal Tompkins, 22, of 433 Zara St. in Pittsburgh's Knoxville neighborhood, whom  have accused of raping a mentally disabled girl in a vacant apartment at Baldwin's  in September 2010, will face a jury trial starting in February 2012 for numerous charges stemming from the incident.

The incident also involved two male juveniles, whom police are charging in connection to the attack on the 17-year-old victim, as well. police detective Anthony Cortazzo said that the girl knew at least one of the three males charged in connection with the rape, which took place as the girl was making her way home from a high school football game.

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Details surrounding the two other males charged are unavailable, as both are minors. Details of Tompkins' case are available.

Because the victim is mentally disabled, she is not able to legally consent to sex, Cortazzo said, which led to Tompkins being charged with rape of a mentally disabled person and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a mentally disabled person.

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Based on victim testimony, Cortazzo said, Baldwin police are also charging Tompkins with rape-forcible compulsion and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse-forcible compulsion, meaning that the victim was forced into having sex.

Tompkins is also being charged with sexual assault, soliciting sexual assault, conspiring sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor-sexual exploitation and corruption of minors.

In August 2011,  withdrew charges against Tompkins of unlawful restraint-serious bodily injury and false imprisonment while sending his other charges to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. Tompkins appeared in the Allegheny County Courthouse for a pre-trial conference on Oct. 13, where it was determined that he will face a jury trial.

Police in Erie, PA,  under the alias "Devon Fred Howard." Erie police held Tompkins for eight days and released him before learning that Baldwin police had issued an arrest warrant for him the year before.

An informant for Baldwin police led them to check Erie for Tompkins, and he was re-captured soon after being released.

Tompkins is being held in Allegheny County Jail.


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