By Ann McAdams | April 26, 2021 at 3:39 PM EDT – Updated April 26 at 5:13 PM
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – One of the victims in a vicious 2016 attack told a New Hanover County jury on Monday he thought he was going to die.
The former UNCW student was on the stand testifying in the rape and kidnapping trial of Titus Lee, who is accused of jumping over the railing of a first story balcony on Litchfield Way, wearing a mask and wielding a gun, and then attacking a college couple that was sitting on the porch.
The male victim said that Lee, a complete stranger, pistol-whipped him causing a wound that later required over a dozen staples to close. After that attack, the former college student testified that he was tied up in a closet while Lee raped his girlfriend.
Over the course of a crime that lasted for hours, the victims said they were driven to an ATM and forced to withdraw cash. They also had their Xbox and other electronics stolen. They said Lee told them he would find them and kill them if they called police.
Terrified, they drove all the way to the male victim’s parents house in Cherry Grove, South Carolina, for help after they said Lee finally left. Lee was arrested weeks after the attack in Philadelphia.
His family said in court Monday that authorities arrested the wrong man. Before Lee was apprehended and brought back to Wilmington, the male victim initially identified a different suspect in a photo lineup. He explained he could only see part of his face during the attack because the assailant was wearing a mask, but seeing him in person, the victim said he was confident Lee was the perpetrator. Authorities also have other evidence linking Lee to the crime.
Testimony will continue on Tuesday.
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