In 2001, Carter was a car salesman at Tacoma’s Mallon Ford. But around that time, he got mad at his ex-girlfriend. Police said he held her captive for days. He was convicted of beating the woman so severely her eye hemorrhaged.
After spending several months in jail for his felony conviction, Carter got out and went back to work at Mallon Ford.
That’s where Carter met another woman who would eventually accuse him of rape. The court papers refer to her as “L.S.”
“L.S.” bought a car from Carter. She says at his invitation, she went out for a drink with Carter and some other Mallon salesman. “L.S.” claims the men pushed her into a dark room and took turns gang raping her.
“L.S.” filed a police report. But unfortunately for her, and perhaps for “S.F.” too, the case was assigned to a detective by the name of Ed Baker.
Baker didn’t exactly do a textbook investigation. As KING 5’s South Bureau revealed last month, Baker’s own department found he “mishandled” the case by failing to collect evidence right away and failing to interview the men accused for several months. (The department also found 70 other cases that it says were mishandled).
When police finally caught up with Carter, he told them the sex was consensual.
While “L.S.” was busy trying to get Baker to investigate, Richy Carter was roaming the streets, drinking, chasing good times and finding trouble.
About nine months after “L.S.” says he raped her, Carter had sex with “S.F.”
Carter doesn’t deny the sex - he really can’t since there is DNA evidence. Instead, Carter says the intercourse was consensual.
It’s a defense that could save Carter and Wright from prison.
Prosecutors got a tough case.
First, the Pierce County Sheriff’s detective who investigated the case, didn’t do a real bang-up job either.
In fact, by the prosecution’s own admission, “there were significant delays…he did not send the case (to the prosecutor’s office) very fast.” That detective has since left the Sheriff’s office.
But worse than possible troubles with the execution of the investigation might be what “S.F” was doing before the alleged rape ever happened.
Defense attorneys claim the woman was drinking heavily and partying hard.
Carter and Wright’s attorneys say on the night “S.F.” was supposedly raped, she came downstairs to join the party wearing only a bra. The attorneys claim witnesses will testify the teen was “grinding” on both Carter and Wright at separate times. The attorneys claim she virtually asked the men for sex.
So who will the jury believe…a school official and his friend with the troubled past…or the 19-year-old who got burned by two detectives from two different departments?