A 21-year-old man from Minnesota, Tristen Alan Leritz, has reportedly confessed to sexually assaulting a 51-year-old woman on a street in Vadnais Heights. According to authorities, Leritz cited his motive as, “F*** it, since I’m a virgin,” when speaking to detectives.
Leritz faces charges of criminal sexual conduct for the incident, which occurred on Tuesday night as the victim was out for a walk, as reported by WCCO.
The victim recounted to detectives that while she was walking and talking to a friend through her headphones, Leritz approached her, covering her mouth with his hand. He claimed he “tripped and fell into her” before forcibly taking her to the ground. He then pinched her nose, covered her mouth, and applied pressure to her neck with his forearm.
The woman resisted and shouted for her friend to call 911. She described the assault as lasting 15 to 20 minutes, during which she struggled to breathe at times.
According to the charges, she feared for her life during the attack.
After the assault, the woman managed to get up and ran into the street, with Leritz following behind her, stating, “I have to leave this way too.”
Deputies found the woman’s shows, headphones, and glasses — and Leritz’s glasses — at the scene.
At a hospital, staff foud multiple cuts and bruises on the woman’s body, and a DNA sample ultimately matched with Leritz.
When he was interviewed by police, he reportedly admitted that he “fully raped” the woman. He said he saw her walking and said to himself, “F*** it, since I’m a virgin.”
The charges described Leritz as 6 feet 8 inches tall and 248 pounds.
“This utterly senseless attack shocked an entire community with its brazen nature,” Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said in a statement on Friday.
Leritz was arrested at his home on Thursday after tips from the public helped identify him, KSTP reported.
Leritz is due in court on Monday and is being held on a $500,000 bond.
