US man admits to raping, keeping woman in closet

WASHINGTON - A man in Ohio, US, who has been accused of repeatedly raping a woman and keeping her captive in a closet for 10 days, has pleaded guilty and admitted to wanting to keep her as his pet.

The 22-year-old woman told police that William Manis, 44, said he had intended to sell her as a sex slave but decided to keep her as a pet at his home in Hamilton, about 30 miles north of Cincinnati.

Assistant Prosecutor Jason Phillabaum said Manis pleaded guilty in Butler County Common Pleas Court to two counts of kidnapping and nine counts of rape and could be sentenced to up to 110 years in prison.

Manis earlier pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity but was declared competent to stand trial.

The woman told police that Manis kept her in a closet that was nailed shut, with her hands and feet bound, until she escaped by jumping out of a second-story window on November 26, and managed to reach neighbours for help.

“She was discovered essentially still gagged and handcuffed after she jumped out the window,” the Washington Post quoted Phillabaum as saying.

The woman acknowledged she had been a prostitute and went into Manis’ home voluntarily, but said he assaulted her and kept her tied up in the closet until her escape. (ANI)